Making Waves
by WritePassion
Summary: Sam arranges a bachelor party that Michael won't soon forget, only things don't quite turn out the way he planned it. And Michael and Fiona's marriage brings change. Sequel to Baby Protection Plan.
1. Chapter 1

_Burn Notice and its characters: I don't own them, I just like to play with them._

**Making Waves**

by WritePassion

Fiona sat in the middle of the bed, surrounded by magazines open to pictures and articles. Swatch books intermingled with them, looking like the after-effects of a fashion bomb. She scrunched her eyes closed and pressed the heels of her hands to them, feeling a headache coming on. This was how Michael and Sam found her as they entered the loft. Michael eyed her from across the room, concerned about how much time she was putting into this project. If it were up to him, they would just go to the courthouse to take care of this immediately and get married. That is, if he didn't want to live beyond the 'I do's'. He'd left her hanging and waiting for this for a long time. She deserved her day, and as long as it didn't cost him every penny of what he'd managed to save up over the past few years, he had no problem with it.

"Fi, are you okay?"

"Yes, Michael, I'm fine. I just can't seem to make up my mind on which dress I like, what colors...there are too many choices!"

"I thought my mom was helping you with all that." Michael sat on the edge of the bed and studied the seemingly chaotic mess. "Here, how about this one? I think that would look terrific on you, Fi." He held up the magazine below his chin and smiled at her.

"Oh, I like that one too, but now I can't get it!" She ripped the magazine out of his hand. "You've seen it, and that's bad luck!"

"Uh, Fi, I think you've got that wrong," Sam said as he pulled a beer from the fridge. "It's only bad luck if he sees you in the dress before the wedding."

"And how would you know?" She set the magazine aside and picked up all the others. "Forget it, I'm going over to your mom's house, Michael. I'll get her input." By the time she finished stacking the magazines and swatch books, the pile required two tote bags and a lot of muscle for her to carry them. "You two don't need me for anything, do you?"

"No, Fi. We can handle this on our own." Michael gave her a kiss, and she was out the door.

"Wow." Sam twisted the cap off the bottle and took a swig. "Think she's a little stressed out over this wedding? I don't get that. Why do women make such a big deal out of it? If they only put that much time and energy into what happens after the ceremony, maybe..."

"Maybe, what?" Michael stared at Sam.

He shook his head. "Never mind. Forget I said anything."

Michael gave him a knowing smile. Sam had his own issues with getting married, being burned once and too shy to try again. He'd come so close with Veronica, but with his first marriage never being dissolved, he lost her.

"I know this is probably none of my business," Michael began as he pulled a yogurt from the fridge. "But...did you ever...end things...with Amanda?"

"You mean like a divorce?" He said the word as if it exhausted him just to speak it.

"Yeah."

"Yeah, I did. I just didn't think it was worth making a big deal. I mean, you guys didn't even know I was married to begin with until that thing with Veronica. So yeah, it's over. I just don't want to make that mistake again." He looked at Michael with wide eyes, realizing what he'd said. "Not that you and Fi are making a mistake, Mike! I mean, you guys belong together like peanut butter and jelly, beer and nachos, steak and..."

"Are you hungry?"

"How'd you guess?" Sam asked with an innocent smile as he set his half-empty bottle on the bar. "Let's go grab something at Carlito's."

"I should check with Fi, to see if she has anything planned for supper." Michael got out his phone.

"Oh...oh no, it's already started!" Sam wore a horrified look.

"What?" Michael studied him, confused.

He replied in a soft voice, as if revealing a secret. "You're asking her permission to go out with the guys! Well, in this case, just me, but you know what I mean."

His friend's attempt at humor was lost on him. "Sam, it's not like that! I'm just...I'm being considerate, okay? Fi reminded me recently that...oh, never mind!" He dialed her number, and when she picked up, he said, "Fi, Sam and I are going to Carlito's. Is that going to put a crimp in any plans you might have had for tonight?" He listened for a few seconds. "Okay, good. I'll see you later, then."

"So the ball and chain gave you permission, huh?" He chuckled.

"If she were going out with friends, I'd expect her to do the same." Michael shot back. "Maybe if you'd thought of doing that, things might have been different between you and your wife." As soon as he said it, Michael wished he could take the words back. Just by the injured look on Sam's face, he knew he'd struck a nerve. "Sam, I'm sorry. I never should have said that. I don't know what went on with your marriage."

"I know. Otherwise you wouldn't have said what you said. It's okay, no big deal. Are you okay, Mike? You seem...tense."

Michael sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "I don't know, I think with all this stuff going on lately, and the wedding plans. It's just too much."

"What stuff?"

Michael let out a breath and leaned against the bar. "Baby stuff."

"Ah, you still thinking about Kira?" Sam watched the emotion play across his friend's face as he mentioned the little girl's name. "You miss her?"

"Yeah. I know Fi does." He looked at Sam with a warmth in his eyes. "She wants to start a family as soon as we get married. I kind of want to, but...it's scary, Sam. To have that kind of responsibility, and the uncertainty of what I do for a living, I'm still not sure it's the right thing."

Sam nodded and leaned closer to him. "Mike, you should talk to some of the other agents, the guys who have families. Or even the women who have families. See how they handle things, and then maybe it won't be so intimidating."

"That's a great idea. Thanks." A smile of relief crossed his face. "The only way I'll really know, short of plunging in myself, is to get some intel. It's so simple, but you know, sometimes it's hard to see the most obvious things."

"Oh yeah." Sam got off the stool and turned toward the door, a twinkle in his eye. "Come on, now that you've got that off your shoulders, let's go make some plans for the stag party! As your Best Man, I promise you it'll be one you'll never forget."

"You know, I'm not a party kind of guy."

"Don't worry, it'll be fun. Really!"

They got into Michael's car and he drove them to Carlito's. As he sat at a light, Michael thought about the short guest list for his bachelor party, as well as the wedding. He and Fi had come to rely on Sam and Jesse so completely as a team and as friends, that they really didn't have anyone as close to them in their lives, and now, as their nuptials were on the horizon, their wedding party consisted of Sam and Maddie as Best Man and Matron of Honor. The guest list wasn't much longer, and he thought it was kind of pathetic as far as weddings go. _We would have been much better off just going to the courthouse!_

"Mike?"

A car horn blared behind him and he hit the gas. "Sorry, I was just thinking."

"Must have been pretty deep, brother. I was ready to check if you were still breathing."

"Funny, Sam." Michael found an empty space across the street from their favorite watering hole and parked. "I was just thinking about the wedding stuff. As far as this party, who's all being invited?"

"Well, it'll be a small affair, really. I haven't figured out yet what we're going to do, and that's why I wanted to talk with you about it." They sat at their usual table, ordered a couple of beers and a plate of nachos, and worked on the beers while they waited for their food to arrive. "What I want you to do is think about something that you never do, but you'd like to do."

"Like what?"

"Just get the spy stuff out of your head for like five minutes, and think about what you'd want to do to relax and have fun."

Michael stared at his beer bottle, thinking, and a slow smile spread across his face. "Bowling."

"Bowling?"

"Yes. I haven't been bowling in years. Nate and I, sometimes when we had to get away from Dad, we'd go bowling." He grinned. "I always beat the pants off of him, and it drove him nuts." He looked up at Sam. "I think he's about ready for a rematch."

"Okay, bowling." Sam pulled a small notepad out of his shirt pocket and wrote that down. "Anything else?" Michael remained silent, with a look of deep concentration on his face. "How about skydiving?"

"You've gotta be kidding, Sam! I had enough of that in the Rangers, thanks." It was hard for him to keep a straight face. The things Sam came up with sometimes!

"I was just throwing it out there, trying to inspire your creativity, that's all." He smiled at his friend.

"Thanks, but no. No skydiving."

"I'd suggest paintball, but that's too much like work." Their nachos arrived, and he scooped up a chip laden with toppings. "I suppose we could just go bowling, get some dinner, and if you think of something while we're out, we'll just go for it. Nothing like a little spontaneity. Right?"

Michael looked around casually as he said, "It would be nice to just hang out with friends and watch a sunset. I know, it sounds weird, but you know, it's really low-key. That's what I would like. Nothing wild or crazy. I've got too much of that in my life on a daily basis."

"Okay, I think I have an idea." Sam grinned. "Don't worry, you'll have a night to remember, with no craziness."

* * *

"I think it's lovely, Fiona. Simple is good, and then you can pair it up with some fancy hairstyle, a big bouquet, and some elegant shoes." Maddie said with a smile as they finally agreed on a dress after two hours of looking over the books. "And I like this one for my dress. It doesn't overshadow your choice."

"But what color?" She held up a book of fabrics with a rainbow of colors to choose from. "I like this rose, or the aqua, or the peach. They'd all look good on you!" She sighed heavily and dropped the book on the table.

"Have you picked out what Michael and Sam will be wearing?"

"If I left it up to Michael, he'd just wear one of his tan suits." She made a face expressing her disgust. "I'd rather see him wear a light gray, if not white. After all, it is a summer wedding!"

Maddie tried to picture Michael in a white suit, but she couldn't see it. It looked a lot better on Sam. "I'd go with the gray, honey." She gave Fiona a long look. "Is there something bothering you, Fiona? Besides all the wedding planning details?"

Her eyes met Maddie's. There was no hiding the truth from Michael's mother when she looked at her like that. The older woman had been a mother for too long, and her radar so finely honed over the years, it was impossible to make excuses. "I suppose I should just get it off my chest. Maybe it'll make me feel better."

"What is it?" Maddie reached out and touched her hand that lay still over the book of fabric samples.

"I still think about Kira. It's been two months, and we only knew her for what, a week? Yet every day I think about her and wonder how she and her family are doing. Wonder if she'll ever remember us. If I...we...ever made an impact on her life."

"Of course you did! You, Michael and Sam saved her life. That's the biggest impact anyone could make."

"But in the grand scheme of things, it's over and done with." She shook her head. "It shouldn't matter. The other thing is that I miss her. I shouldn't feel this way, but I do. It's like a little piece of me was torn out when we had to give Kira back to her mother."

"Don't worry about it, honey. When you have your own, you'll fall in love all over again. You'll still remember Kira, but you'll have a child who will be yours completely and you'll love forever. Let's just take this one step at a time, though. Get through the wedding, then think about a family." Maddie leaned in closer and grinned. "I don't think Michael could take both at the same time."

"I think you're right about that, Madeline!" Fiona sighed as a weight fell off her shoulders. "I do feel better talking about it. Not that it really resolved anything, but it at least gave me something to think about and look forward to. If I focus on that, maybe it won't hurt so much missing Kira."

"Every day will get better, especially when you concentrate on planning your future." Maddie lit up a cigarette and asked, "Speaking of the future, what are your plans for the girls' night out? And what about a bridal shower?"

"Who would I invite to either of those, Maddie? Other than clients, most of whom are men...that leaves you, and me. Not much of a party." She made a face. "No offense. Not that having a party with you wouldn't be fun!"

"Hey, what about the girls we play poker with? We may be old, but we still know how to have a good time!"

Fiona couldn't imagine having a bachelorette party with a bunch of women old enough to be her grandmother, but then again, knowing how those ladies played cards, it might be interesting. She smiled. "Okay, since you're my Matron of Honor, I'll let you figure it out. Let's decide on your dress color, and then I'll worry about matching your colors with Sam's, and take care of Michael last. It'll just be easier that way."

"I like the aqua. I have a great pair of earrings that would go with it."

"Terrific!" Fiona glanced at her watch. "I think we might still have enough time to go to the bridal shop and get sized and order the dresses!"

Together, they each took a few of the books and hauled them to the car. "This is going to be so much fun! Frank and I didn't do anything like this when we got married." She paused, tossed her load into the back of Fiona's car, and looked up at the younger woman with a twinge of embarrassment. "To tell you the truth, Michael's father and I eloped. My parents didn't like him, and, well, after being with him for awhile, I could see why. I should have listened to them." Then she smiled. "But then I wouldn't have had Michael, or Nate, and I wouldn't be getting such a wonderful daughter-in-law!"

"Madeline, there's no need to butter me up. You're in the wedding no matter what!" Fiona grinned.

"I'm just being honest, Fiona. You're the best thing that's happened to Michael, and I'm glad that he's finally realized that!"

Fiona could have hugged her for that statement, but the car was in between them. "Let's go get something to eat after we're done at the bridal shop."

Maddie nodded. Fiona was the best choice for Michael, and it was about time they made their bond official. Getting the dresses ordered made it all the more real for both of them, and when they left the shop, the women were giddy with excitement. Two months. That's how long before the big day. Maddie wasn't sure which one of them was more eager for that day to come.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

After all the work Fiona put into planning the intimate little wedding ceremony, Michael didn't want to ruin it with a hung-over groom and best man, not to mention a few guests. He would have preferred to stay home and be on the safe side, but Sam already had everything planned, and he didn't want to let down his friend. Reluctantly, he locked up the loft and hurried down the stairs behind Sam. "Please, just make sure it doesn't turn into some night of drunken debauchery. I think that's been overdone to death."

"Crap," Sam exclaimed with a straight face, but when Michael stared at him, he grinned. "Just kidding, Mikey! Remember, we talked about this. You wanted low-key, and that's what you're going to get. Trust me, it won't get out of hand."

"I think Fi would kill me if it did."

Sam stopped in his tracks and turned to face him. "Mike, don't kid yourself. She's probably got something wild planned for herself and her friends."

Michael laughed and was about to reply when he heard a horn give two short bursts, and he turned to see a long black limousine park in front of the courtyard doors. He expected Nate to get out of the driver's seat, but one of his drivers exited the vehicle and opened the back door. Inside, Jesse and Nate waited.

"Hey Michael, you ready to go?" Nate asked with a big grin on his face.

"I'm ready. What about Barry?"

"Barry's meeting us at the bowling alley," Sam replied as he let Michael get in first.

Jesse laughed. "How classy is this, man, taking a limo to the bowling alley."

Sam replied defensively, "Hey, Mike wanted to go bowling for his party, and that's what we're doing. Where we wind up later, well... that's a surprise."

"I'm looking forward to this, bro." Nate said with a grin. "We haven't played since we were kids, when Mom would send us to the bowling alley to get away from Dad."

"Yeah, I didn't even have a license to drive yet, and Mom gave me the keys to the car." Michael cracked a smile. "And we thought Dad was ticked before! When he found out..."

"Well, anyway, this time we don't have to watch our backs. And I've had some practice. I'm ready to kick your butt down the alley!" Nate rubbed his hands together and gave him an evil grin.

Sam picked up a bottle of champagne cooling in an ice bucket and asked, "You wanna do the honors, Mike?"

"Sure, why not." Michael smiled as he gripped the bottle neck, twisted off the wire, and carefully popped the cork in the confined space without taking out anyone's eye or shattering a window.

Four glasses filled quickly, and Sam lifted his and said, "To Michael Westen, soon to be ex-bachelor. May your future be filled with good times, good love, and a good wife."

"Wait, are we talking about Fiona," Nate asked with a smirk, and Michael, who sat next to him, punched his arm. "Ow!"

"Leave it to Nate to screw up a perfectly good toast," Jesse teased, and they all clinked glasses.

People watched when the limo pulled up to the curb and the driver let the four men out in front of a new bowling and entertainment complex in the heart of the city. Michael emerged first, and he looked around out of habit to get his bearings.

"Hey, guys!"

"Barry, you made it," Michael said as he turned and saw the shorter man with the always-spiky hair and body piercings standing nearby.

Barry gave him a man hug. "Congratulations, Michael. You're one lucky guy, marrying Fiona! I was beginning to think maybe I had a chance with her, you know?" He winked at him and laughed. "No, seriously man, she doesn't have eyes for anybody but you. You guys deserve all the luck in the world."

"Thanks, Barry." Michael was touched by his words.

"Come on, save the speechifying for the wedding toasts!" Sam grabbed Michael around the shoulders and clamped onto Barry's shoulder with one hand as he led the way inside.

Three games later and at least a dozen beers divided among them, Sam led them out of the bowling alley and back to the limo. He was the only one who knew where they were heading. They tried to get it out of him, but he only smiled at each question and suggestion until the limo parked at the marina, and he said, "We're here, guys!"

"The marina. What are we doing here," Michael asked.

"In a minute, you'll see." Sam gently pushed Michael out of the vehicle and they assembled on the walkway.

"Hey, Mikey!"

Michael heard the voice and mumbled, "Virgil." He turned around and faced Sam's old friend with a smile and spoke aloud. "Virgil! What a surprise to see you. I thought you were in the Bahamas."

"I was, until Sam told me you were gettin' hitched to that darlin' Fiona." Virgil drawled. "And then he wanted me to help him plan a little party for you, so, well, here I am! Come on, fellas! Follow me!" With a wide grin on his face and a sweep of his arm, Virgil led them down the pier toward a very large vessel moored at the end.

"Virgil, is that your boat," Michael asked as he took it in.

"This ain't no boat, son! It's a yacht! And no, it ain't mine, I'm just borrowin' it from a friend for this little soiree." He hopped onto the deck and said, "All aboard! We're goin' cruisin'!"

Michael gave Sam a look as the others got on the yacht. "Mike, you said you wanted two things: bowling and low-key. A nice sunset cruise is about as low-key as you can get!"

"You're right," Michael said with a growing smile. "Thanks, Sam. But what made you think of calling Virgil?"

"He's got connections for a nice boat. And it's a beaut, ain't it?"

"Yes, it is."

"Alright then!" Sam exclaimed as he motioned for Michael to get on board. "Let's go for a cruise!"

Virgil announced, "If you fellas are hungry, the chef has dinner prepared inside." He and a mate cast off. Then he climbed up to the small bridge and put the yacht in gear, and he carefully and expertly navigated out of the marina toward the south. He cruised along the coastline heading toward the keys. The sun was still high in the sky but sinking, and by the time his passengers filled themselves up with the meal provided by the on-board chef, they would be in prime sunset watching position.

Over dinner, which was served inside a nicely decorated dining room, Michael said, "I had my doubts about this party, Sam, but you really outdid yourself. I'm impressed."

"Well, this is a once-in-a-lifetime deal here. I wanted it to be something special."

"I really appreciate it. Thanks."

"I wonder what Fi's up to tonight." Sam winked.

"She said she and Maddie were going to do something, but it was a surprise." Michael shrugged. "Whatever she wants to do is fine by me, as long as she shows up tomorrow for the wedding. I trust her not to get into trouble."

_You've got a lot more trust in her than I_, Sam thought. _But then you'd have to, if you're marrying her!_

* * *

"Fiona, are you ready?"

"I'm ready, Madeline." She smiled. "I can hardly wait to see what you and the girls are up to!"

"Well, first of all, you have to wear this." Maddie handed her a white satin blindfold. Fiona's eyebrow arched. "We can't have you seeing where we're going until we get there!"

"Ahh. Alright then, put it on me." This was strange, but in the spirit of things, she complied.

Fiona allowed the women to lead her to the car. "What is this, a limousine," she asked as she sat in the wide comfortable seat.

"Yes, it's one of Nate's!" Maddie's voice rose in excitement. "He let us borrow it for the evening."

Fiona stretched out and pressed herself into the fragrant leather. "Mmm, I'll have to thank him for this tomorrow."

"We have to pick up a couple of the girls first, and then we'll be off."

"Off to where?" Fiona smiled, hoping to get a clue.

"Dinner. That's all I'm saying. After that, it's really top secret." Maddie giggled.

On the way to their destination, the limo stopped to pick up the girls from Maddie's card parties. Like a bunch of teenagers, they piled in all chattering and excited for the night's celebration. One of them put a corsage on Fiona's wrist that smelled like gardenias and jasmine.

"Just a little something for the bride," Evelyn said.

"Thank you! It smells terrific!" Fiona held it up to her nose and sniffed.

"I hope so, 'cause it certainly isn't Blanche's perfume!" The ladies laughed at the joke at Blanche's expense.

They rode around for what seemed like forever, drinking champagne and talking girl talk. For a bunch of old ladies, those gals had some spunk, causing Fiona to blush now and then. She only wished she could be so lively when she reached their age.

The car stopped and hands led her out to the sidewalk. As soon as her feet hit the pavement, someone took the blindfold off and her eyes adjusted to the slowly fading light. "Is this where we're having dinner?"

"Yes," Maddie replied. "Now you know why I wanted you to dress up a little. I know you said you liked this place."

"I love it, Madeline! This is the first place Michael and I ate together when he first came back to town." She smiled broadly. "That fateful time when I thought he was gonna die, and I just came out of curiosity, wondering if his last words would be about me..." She faded off and shook her head, and a passionate smile crossed her lips. "Who would have thought that I'd be marrying the man after all this time?"

"I think you should have roped him in a long time ago, Fiona." Blanche said with a flap of her hand. "But then that's neither here nor there. Let's go eat, because we don't want to miss what's coming up next!"

After a terrific meal, the ladies piled into the limo and rode to a club in South Beach.

When Fiona stepped out of the car, she looked up and read the marquee and blushed. "Ladies, you're so naughty!" She grinned. "But I love it!" With more giggles, the women moved around her and propelled Fiona into the club where they would spend the night ogling good-looking, buff men as they strutted their stuff on stage for their female audience.

"I wonder how Michael is enjoying his evening," Maddie asked as the women sat at a table with a prime view of the stage. "I can assure you, Fiona, that what Sam planned for him is a lot more...sedate...than this! Right about now, they should be cruising on a yacht, looking for a sunset."

"Good! Michael has enough excitement in his life. He needs to relax and have fun."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The yacht's engines purred underneath their feet, amazingly quiet. The only sounds came from the churning of the water that created a wake behind them, and the conversations flowing around the table. The men finished dinner and came out on deck to watch Miami fade into the distance to the north and witness the sun sinking in the west. Virgil turned the bow south southwest toward the keys, with the aim of stopping near Key Largo to watch the sun disappear over the horizon while keeping them at least twenty miles from the shoreline.

Michael sat at the very back of the yacht on an overstuffed bench seat, his arm resting on the rail with a drink in his hand. The vibrations were soothing and the explosion of colors in the sky sent a wave of contentment through him. He had nothing to fear this evening, because it was turning out to be peaceful...exactly what he needed. There was no way he'd be hung over the next day, and even Sam seemed to be drinking more responsibly than he expected.

"Well, Mike? Did I do okay by you for your last night of freedom?" Sam asked as he sat next to his friend.

Michael turned, smiled, and replied. "This is really great, Sam. Nice, relaxing, and beautiful scenery. I don't get much time to appreciate it on a normal day."

"I know. I also know the other guys probably think this is pretty lame, but you wouldn't have been happy running around bar hopping and going to strip clubs. I get it. So I racked my brain trying to come up with something as far from that as we could get."

"Well, you managed it. Thanks, Sam."

"If you want to do any fishing, Virgil brought some rods."

"No. I'm just fine sitting here. One thing I've learned is that I don't spend enough time just...just being. I don't know if that makes sense." He shook his head. "The other day I walked into my mom's house and she was watching some program on TV where they were talking about the value of doing nothing. Ever since then, I've been taking a little time every day to do nothing and just sit."

"You're not getting all weird on me now, are you Mikey?"

Michael laughed. "Not at all. It really is good for you. Kind of a time to decompress."

"I guess it's sort of like when I go off fishing. It's calming."

"Exactly." Michael turned from Sam to watch the sunset.

Virgil stopped the yacht and dropped anchor. Then he and the mate went to the galley to have their meals, while the men sat on deck in an envelope of serenity. As the sky darkened, talk faded away.

"Hey, check that out," Nate said in a voice so soft, it was almost a whisper. "A school of dolphins."

The porpoises swam past the yacht, arching themselves gracefully over the water and diving back under. A few broke off the group and must have decided that the boat was worth checking out, because they swam right up to it.

"Hey, I wonder if they'll let us touch 'em," Barry mused aloud as he leaned over the side and reached down slowly. The dolphins bobbed next to the yacht as he tried to reach them. "This boat is too high, I can't...reach..." His fingertips touched a snout. "Hey, I did it! Awesome!"

"Barry, be careful," Michael warned.

"No problem, Michael. This is cool!" He stroked the dolphin. It began to move away. He stood with his drink in one hand and his legs pressed up against the side as he teetered precariously, and when he went for one last touch, he offset his balance. "Woah!" Without warning, Barry went over the side.

"Barry! What the..." Jesse rushed to the rail and looked down at the splash as Barry went under.

Barry's tumble caused the dolphins to flee. He broke the surface sputtering and drink-less, treading water. He looked up at Jesse. "Hey, are you gonna just stand there gaping at me, or are you gonna help?"

The others laughed as Jesse reached out and grasped Barry's hand. Michael put down his drink and helped lift him back onto the deck. Barry was soaked from head to toe, his spikey hair now plastered to his head in a very un-Barry like fashion.

Sam offered him a towel. Barry snatched it from him and said, "If I'd known I was going to wind up in the ocean, I would have brought my swimming trunks." He dried his hair, forcing it back up into spikes. He groaned. "Well, that ruined the 'do. All the product washed out of my hair."

"Next time we'll tie you to the deck so you don't go over," Nate teased.

"What happened up here?" Virgil came out from below deck and looked around at the men. "Barry, you're wet!"

"He fell overboard, but it's all good now." Jesse replied.

"You need to dry off, son?"

"Nah, I'm good, Virgil. I just need another drink. I lost mine overboard!"

Nate, who had become the unofficial bartender, said, "Comin' right up!"

The boat stayed anchored in place until the sun went down. Then the mate hauled up the anchor, and Virgil announced, "Time to go back to port, fellas. Just relax, and we'll be there in a couple hours."

"And after that? What have you got planned, Sam," Jesse asked.

"It's pretty much up in the air. Whatever Mike wants to do." He glanced at Michael.

Michael laughed and let his head fall back against the head rest. "I'm going home. I want to be well rested for tomorrow."

"More like for tomorrow night," Nate said with a laugh, ignoring the look Michael gave him. "Hey, when is Fiona moving her stuff back into the loft?"

"We'll take care of that next week. Her lease is up at the end of the month, so we have some time." A slow smile crossed his face. He was really looking forward to her returning her woman's touch to the loft. Despite the teasing his friends sometimes gave him about it, she really did make it feel more like a home. Of course, just her being there all the time could make it feel a lot like that. Whatever the case, it gave him a sense of peace that he needed so desperately.

Virgil turned on some lanterns that swayed gently over the deck as the sky turned deep navy blue, and in the distance they saw a few pinpricks of light from the Miami skyscrapers. In a couple of hours they would be in port and go back to their normal lives. Michael thought about the next day and all that it would bring. He was excited, but a little scared at the same time, because he was finally making the commitment to stick with Fiona forever. Whenever that thought brought on anxiety, he remembered that they'd already spent so many years together and lived with each other for some of that time. He couldn't imagine that it would be any different, except now neither of them had an easy escape if they wanted to leave. That thought was daunting, but it also brought a great sense of security. In Michael's life there was so little he could truly count on. This would be good for him.

A bright light suddenly cut through the night and focused on the party on the aft deck. Water churned as the light grew stronger and blinded them. Michael threw up an arm, and he tried to peer beyond it. He could barely make out the silhouette of a man standing beside the large spotlight on top of the other boat as it barreled in a perpendicular line straight for them.

"Attention! Captain, please turn off your engines immediately and prepare to be boarded." The voice had a thick accent. Haitian, Michael guessed. "Failure to comply will result in fatalities on board. Please shut down your engines, now!"

"What's going on?" Barry asked.

"Pirates," Jesse answered.

"Pirates?" Nate's voice went up an octave as he saw several men congregate just beyond the beam of light. "They don't look like pirates!"

Instead of the traditional fancy boots, clothing, and flamboyant hats, these men wore military style boots, cargo pants, t-shirts and cotton shirts, and a variety of hats from baseball caps to Panamas. In place of swords their weapons were AK-47s and nine millimeter semi-automatic pistols.

Jesse nodded. "Not sure what they expect to get from us."

"Please shut off your engines and prepare to be boarded," the man called over the loudspeaker.

"At least they're polite pirates," Barry declared, his voice calm.

"Virgil! Shut it down," Michael urged as he climbed up to the bridge. "Just shut it down, we'll see what they want, and then maybe they'll take it and be on their way."

"You don't believe that any more than I do, do ya, Mikey?"

He ignored the nickname that he allowed only Sam to use. Lowering his voice, he asked, "Do you have any weapons on board?"

"Other than a flare gun, we've got nothing. I'm sorry, Mike!" Virgil looked at him with fear in his eyes. "You're right, we're probably better off not fighting it."

"As long as they don't decide to hold us for ransom or something, we should be fine." He glanced to the starboard side and saw the pirates' bow nearly touching the side of the yacht. One of their crew jumped off onto the deck and tied a rope to the side. "See if you can call out an SOS."

"Will do." Virgil had already shut down the engines, so if he stayed at the controls for too much longer, the pirates would get suspicious. With a soft voice full of urgency, he spoke into the mic, "Mayday, mayday, mayday. Lady Anne, latitude 25.304304, longitude -79.876099. We're being boarded by pirates. Mayday, mayday, mayday!"

"You! Get down here now!"

Virgil turned. "Me?"

"Yes, you!"

_"Lady Anne, please repeat your coordinates!"_

With no time to waste, Virgil turned down the volume on the radio and pressed a red button on the console that would set off the automatic distress signal. It was silent but efficient as long as the pirates didn't cut off their power supply, and even then the distress signal could run for a few hours on a supplementary battery.

_"Lady Anne, please repeat your coordinates!"_

"Get down here!"

"Coming," Virgil said as he climbed down the ladder, his entire body shaking with adrenaline.

On deck the mate flanked the far end of a line with Barry, Nate, Jesse, Sam, and Michael. To everyone's surprise but their invaders, the chef came up from below smiling and he approached the pirates. One of them gave him a gun, and he took up position guarding the crew and passengers of the Lady Anne.

"What the...he's one of them," Nate whispered hoarsely.

"They do that," Jesse answered softly. "Get a guy on board and he sneaks a transmission to the leader to tell him the coordinates of their target."

"You two, shut up!" The cook shoved the butt of his gun into Jesse's stomach, forcing him to bend over until he could get his breath back.

Virgil stepped to Michael's left side with his concnerned eyes locked on Jesse.

"Get your hands up, mister, and lock 'em behind your head."

Virgil complied. His elbow knocked into Michael's, and he looked at the younger man. He seemed amazingly calm despite the activity going on around them. More pirates disembarked from the other craft and swarmed the yacht. Whether the raiders sought passengers or something valuable, they had no clue.

"Mike, what are we going to do?" Virgil asked in a soft voice.

"Just wait and see what they want," Michael whispered in response. "Be patient."

Within a few minutes, the pirates came topside carrying decorative pieces made of gold and silver in their arms, as well as personal items the owners left on board. A man on the other boat dropped a crate onto the deck and the others filled it, and when they were done, he pulled it up to the pirates' boat.

"Not a bad haul," the leader said with a grin. "But surely, there's got to be more than this with such fine gentlemen on such a fine vessel." He approached Virgil and closed in. Virgil could smell what the guy had for supper that night, and whatever it was, it wasn't good. "Empty out your pockets, Captain. Show yourself as a good example to the others, why don't ya."

Virgil hesitated and was rewarded with a blow to the side of the head. He went down to his knees briefly, but as he rose, he reached into his pockets slowly. Guns trained on him and his friends, just in case. He gave them his wallet.

"That's all I've got. I don't have a car, so..."

"Now, what would I need wit your car out here, man?" The pirates' boisterous laughter carried across the water. The leader opened Virgil's wallet, pulled out all the cash, and dropped the rest at his feet. "This'll do just fine. Thank you."

Another of his men worked from the mate down the line to Michael, demanding they pull everything from their pockets, including their cell phones. Nate didn't have more than a few dollars. "This all you got? What a sorry man you are! I almost feel bad for takin' it from ya!" He glanced down and saw the wedding ring on Nate's finger. "Ah, that makes me feel better. Take it off. Now." He aimed his nine millimeter pistol at Nate's stomach, point blank, and Nate quickly removed the ring. All the while, he gave the man an acidic stare.

He saw it and stared back at Nate. "Just be thankful I'm not killin' ya, pretty boy."

Jesse knew better than to give them a hard time. He handed over his wallet, a full money clip, and his watch without an argument. Sam didn't like it, but he gave them wallet, watch, and pinky ring.

"Gimme that chain, and the bracelet, too."

Inside Sam cringed at having to give them up, but he wouldn't let them see how it upset him. They didn't need to give these men a reason to set them off.

With the emptying of each wallet, the pirate checked their identification. That seemed odd to Michael, until he realized that they were either searching for someone specific, or just a name that they knew could create an opportunity for an even bigger score. Michael handed over his wallet with the knowledge that the moment the pirate opened it, he would know he'd struck gold. He carried his CIA credentials inside, plain as day, and he knew exactly when the pirate saw the ID badge. His eyes lit up and he pushed past Virgil to show his boss.

"Well, well. Michael Westen. This is an unexpected treat," the pirate captain said as he approached Michael. He stood a good six inches shorter than Michael, but by the way he swaggered, it didn't seem to matter. "Fellas, take them down to the lower deck and tie them up. I want to have a little chat with Mr. Westen."

"Aye, sir." Several pirates came forward, grabbed their prisoners, and herded them toward the stairs to the lower deck.

The mate struggled against his captor and elbowed him in the ribs. He let go and the mate turned to attack him. But shots rang out, his eyes widened in horror, and he dropped to the deck.

"Come on, let me go!" Sam said as he leaned toward the mate who lay bleeding on the deck. "Please, let me check on him!"

The pirate captain nodded, and Sam's captor released him. He got closer and shook his head. There was nothing he could do for the man.

"Is he dead." The pirate captain said. He didn't ask, and his tone suggested he was getting bored with the whole scenario.

"He doesn't have much time," Sam replied, holding back the anger in his voice.

The captain inclined his head toward the open water, and two of the pirates, including the one who shot him, picked up the dying man and threw him overboard. Michael clamped his eyes shut as he heard the splash, followed by no sounds of struggle as the body sank. He swallowed back the sick feeling in his stomach and refocused on the situation at hand. The only way they would get out of this alive was if they complied while looking for a way to overpower the other crew. He counted ten armed men to their six unarmed. Jesse, Sam, and Virgil had the skills to disarm an assailant, and given the right time, the four of them could possibly take over. For now, though, he needed to find out what they wanted with him.

"You know, I'd probably cooperate a lot more if you didn't go killing off the crew and passengers on this boat," Michael said coolly, his eyes focused on the captain.

"Smart guy, huh?" He grinned. "Doesn't surprise me. I've heard of you. Michael Westen, the super spy that everyone fears. You don't seem so scary now when you're outnumbered."

"What do you want with me? We're just out here enjoying a nice cruise, minding our own business, having a little party..."

"I see that." The captain picked up a bottle of wine sticking out of an ice bucket. He scanned the label and grinned. "Somebody has good taste." He tipped the bottle and drank the last of it, then tossed it over his back. It hit the water with a splash while the man wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "Very good taste. Now, Mr. Westen, why don't you have a seat."

The way the captain looked at him, Michael knew he had no other choice. He sat where he'd been sitting not long ago enjoying the cruise, casually crossed his legs, and rested his arms over the seat back. "Okay, so what do you want?"

"I want you, now that I've discovered something that's worth a lot more than any baubles or cash we could pick off your associates."

"Maybe we can work out something. I'd like to know who I'm dealing with first, though."

"Of course." The pirate grinned. "Where are my manners? My name is Jean-Luc Martienne. My men and I are Haitian opportunists."

"I figured you were Haitian, based on your accents. Opportunists... hmm, I could think of better ways to make a living."

Captain Martienne smiled. "Of course, I've heard you're a smart man. I think you could prove to be quite an asset for me, if not monetarily, I could use your expertise to fine tune my men and our tactics."

"I'm sure, but I'm not exactly into this whole pirate thing. I mean, when I was six I dressed up as one for Halloween, but you know, I grew out of that." He gave Martienne a mocking look.

Martienne would have loved to smack it off his face, but he knew that keeping this man injury free would greatly assist him in gaining a larger bounty in exchange for him. He laughed at Westen's boldness. "You're not disappointin' me, Mr. Westen. You're everything I've heard."

"Okay, cut the compliments. Just spit it out, what you want, and we'll see what we can do about this."

Martienne continued to smile at him. "I want a million dollars for you. Half a million for any of your other friends who might be valuable." Martienne leaned forward. "Now, what's your superior's phone number? I want to arrange a deal via sat phone."

"I'm afraid you'll have a long wait. She's probably not at the office right now."

"Give me your cell phone, Westen." Martienne held out his hand. "Now."

One of the pirates stuck the barrel of his AK-47 into Michael's neck as an added incentive. With a sigh, Michael gave it to him. Martienne spent a couple of minutes scrolling through his address book. With a broad grin, he stopped on one name, touched the screen and dialed the number using his own phone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Madeline's phone rang, but it was so noisy in the club, she didn't hear it. It eventually stilled, and the caller left a voice mail. "Mrs. Westen, we have Michael. I want one million dollars delivered to a boat moored at Dinner Key Marina by nine tomorrow morning, or Michael is dead. And if you care about his friends, include five hundred thousand each for Nate Westen, Sam Axe, and Jesse Porter. We'll throw Barry Burkowski and Virgil Watkins in for free, just for allowin' us to do business wit ya."

Martienne ended the call and swore under his breath. Then he scrolled through the listings again. He found one labeled CIA and smiled. Surely someone at this number would answer, and when they learned what he had, take action.

"Agent Pearce."

"Hello, Agent Pearce. Does a Michael Westen work for you?"

Her reply was guarded, and he knew the answer even before she asked, "Who is this?"

"My name is Jean-Luc Martienne. I am holding onto Mr. Westen until I receive one million dollars for his release. I also have his friends and his brother, and for another 1.5 million, you can have them too. So, what do you say?"

"I don't bargain to get my agents back."

"Really. I would think you'd want this one. You have until nine a.m. tomorrow to leave the money in a boat in slip sixteen at the Dinner Key Marina. If it is not there, they all die."

"I'm sorry, it would take awhile to get together 2.5 million dollars. If we even negotiate for Westen, not to mention whoever else you have. How do I know you aren't bluffing?"

"You are a smart lady. Fine, I give you proof of life in one hour, and you give me an answer that I want to hear." Martienne closed the connection and turned to one of his men. "Bring them all up here."

Their hands zip-tied, the pirates led Barry, Sam, Jesse, Nate, and Virgil up the stairs onto the deck and arranged them for a group photo. Michael, whose hands were also tied, found himself shoved into the edge of the group.

"You three, kneel down," Martienne ordered Barry, Virgil, and Nate. Jesse, Sam, and Michael were arranged behind them. "Now, everybody smile!" Martienne used Michael's phone to take the pictures. Once he was satisfied, he ordered, "Take them back downstairs. All of them. And make sure they're tied up good. Wouldn't want anyone to try to get away by swimming for it, would we? Not that any of them would make it." He laughed, but quickly sobered. "Keep in mind, gentlemen, anyone who attempts to flee will be shot. And my boys have been lookin' for a good bit of target practice, so don't tempt them if you value your life."

The six men were stuffed into one of the bedrooms with small portholes for windows, the door was locked, and they were left alone with a guard outside the door. Their hands and feet were bound, making escape difficult, if not impossible.

"Great, so now what do we do," Nate asked as he slid down the side of the bed to sit on the floor.

"Can't you guys shoot your way out or something," Barry piped up.

"No, because we didn't come armed. Contrary to what you might believe, Barry, we don't spend every waking moment with a gun strapped to us." Michael squirmed, trying to loosen the strap confining his feet.

"Mike, we should probably just try to get some rest," Sam suggested. "It's obvious the Coast Guard isn't coming to assist us. Virgil sent out a distress call. Didn't you, Virg?"

"Yeah, I did." He leaned in toward the others and spoke softer so that anyone listening in wouldn't be able to hear him from on the other side of the door. "I also set the automatic signal. Help should have been here by now."

"Unless these guys have the local Coast Guard in their pocket." Sam hated bringing it up, but he knew it wasn't out of the realm of possibilities.

"Then why would they respond to my first call?"

"We don't know that was the Coast Guard. It could have been anybody," Michael said. "If there was a way for us to get up there and send another signal, maybe that would help."

Jesse nodded. "So we wait until they're asleep, and try to take out the guards as quietly as we can, confiscate their weapons, and then we'll have something to work with."

Sam agreed. "That's probably our best bet, Mike."

"We need to work on getting out of these bindings first." Michael stood and looked around the room for something that would cut through the plastic. Anything metal and sharp would do. He carefully stood and shuffled his feet over to the bathroom. Everyone watched and also kept an eye on the bedroom door in case it opened. Above, they heard footsteps on the deck.

"Hey Jesse, I've got an idea." Sam whispered.

"What is it?" Jesse leaned close and asked softly.

"It'll require sacrificing one of my favorite shirts, but I'll do anything to get out of here." Sam looked at one of the portholes. "If Mike can find something to untie us, we can take my shirt and let it hang out the porthole. The red will attract help, hopefully. Not now, but when it gets light."

"We've got a long time before dawn, Sam. And what if the pirates see it?"

"They won't, if we put it on the port side. They parked their boat on the starboard side, remember?"

Jesse nodded. "Okay, let's just hope Mike finds something to cut these things off."

"Hey, guys," Nate whispered.

Sam turned his head toward Nate and asked, "What?"

"I've got a knife in my pocket."

"What? How'd you manage to keep it? They searched us all for weapons," Jesse rasped.

"I know, but I've got this one pocket that is kind of funny, and things sometimes get lost in it." He smiled. "This is the one time I'm glad it happened. Somebody's just gotta reach in and get it."

Jesse and Sam looked at each other, then glanced at Virgil. "Oh no, fellas, I ain't that kind of guy!"

"Our survival depends upon it." Jesse coaxed him.

"Then you do it!"

"Oh for cryin' out loud. Nate, stay where you are." Sam backed up against Nate's side. "No, this won't work. You'll have to lay down or something so I can get in there."

"I think I can get up on the bed!"

Nate and Sam worked against the foot of the bed to rise and sit on the surface. Then Nate lay on his back and contorted himself so Sam could get his hands to the pocket that hid the knife. "This isn't going to work," Sam said after trying a couple of different angles.

Michael came out of the bathroom with his feet unbound and working on his hands with a dull scissors. "What are you two doing?"

"Trying to get to a pocket knife Nate's got hidden in his pants."

Michael rolled his eyes. "You mean I just spent ten minutes with a dull scissors from a med kit trying to cut through the zip tie holding my feet together, and you had a way to cut through just like that?"

"Sorry, bro."

"It's okay. Where is it?"

"My right pocket."

Sam scooted over to the head of the bed so Michael could get in and find the pocket knife. When he pulled it out, he cut his wrists apart first and then quickly unbound everyone else. They heard footsteps coming close and voices outside the door.

"Quick!" Michael exclaimed with a soft voice. "Everybody pretend you're still bound!" He tucked the pocket knife under the bed and covered it with the bedspread, then pulled his feet under the covering and held his hands behind his back.

The door opened, and Martienne poked his head inside. "It's nice to see you all behavin' yourselves. Nobody's called back on ya yet, but don't give up hope. They still have about ten hours left. Sleep well, gentlemen." He laughed as he closed the door and it was locked again.

When he was sure no one was coming back, Michael stood up and Sam joined him. "Mike, I came up with a plan to let anyone who passes by this boat know that we're in here. Look, I know it's dark, but if the Coast Guard is out there looking for us, and they shine a spot on the boat, they'll see my shirt hanging out the port hole and know we need help."

Michael glanced down at the bright red hawaiian shirt with birds of paradise scattered over the material. "It's the best thing we've got. Let's do it."

Sam removed his shirt and had a white t-shirt underneath. Michael found a tie in the closet among a few items of clothing and used it to secure the shirt.

"Okay, so now what?" Nate bounced nervously on the balls of his feet.

"We wait. Not much else we can do," Michael replied.

The queen size bed had enough room for two. By arranging the numerous bed pillows on the floor, they created two more places to sleep. They drew for the bed, and Nate and Sam won. Michael and Jesse took the impromptu beds on the floor, and Virgil and Barry sat in cushy chairs.

"I'll keep watch," Virgil said. "You all get some rest."

The lights were controlled by a dimmer switch, so Virgil turned them down enough to allow the others to sleep, but he also was able to see if anyone came into the room. He didn't like the idea of just laying down and taking this, but they really didn't have a choice. They had no weapons except for a measly pocket knife. Ten against six wasn't the worst odds, but still not good when the pirate leader had fellas with AK-47s and semi-automatic guns. He kept listening for the sound of a Coast Guard vessel, but there was nothing. He couldn't believe that something like this could happen. Well, he could. He just didn't want to believe it was true.

* * *

It was late when Maddie arrived home. Nate's driver was nice enough to walk her to the door and wait until she was safely inside. She thanked him before locking the door behind her, and she tossed her purse onto the dining room table as she went to the kitchen to get herself something to drink. She'd had enough alcohol. She needed water, or she'd wake up dehydrated and feeling like crap on her son's wedding day. After getting a large glass, Maddie headed for the stairs and noticed her phone laying on the table next to her open purse. The voice mail icon glowed.

_Strange, I don't remember my phone ringing while we were out._ She smiled, thinking that maybe Virgil had called. She knew he was taking the men out on a yacht he borrowed from a mutual friend of his and Sam's. Hopefully, he was calling to say he decided to stay overnight on the boat and would be attending the wedding tomorrow. She eagerly hit the button to listen to the message, but once she heard it, all thoughts of going to sleep that night went out the window.

"Madeline? Why are you calling?"

"Fiona...I just found a voice mail on my phone. Someone is holding Michael, Sam, Jesse, Nate, Barry, and Virgil prisoner! They want money, or they're going to kill them. Please, you've got to do something!"

"Where are they?"

"I don't know, somewhere out on the ocean! Virgil took them for a cruise and God only knows where they went!"

There was a long pause as Fiona shook off her knee-jerk emotions and focused on the problem. "I know someone at the Coast Guard. He might be able to help us find them. If Michael and the others are incapacitated, I'll need someone to help me attack their captors. Do you think you can do that?"

"I...I don't know. All I know is that someone needs to do something!"

"Okay, I'll make some phone calls. Come over to my place, and by the time you get here, I should have things in place to move forward."

"Alright. I'll be there soon."

"Oh, and change into some sturdy pants and a shirt. Something that doesn't matter if it gets ruined, because this could get messy."

Maddie heard the measured rage building up in Fiona's voice and he knew that if she managed to find them, the kidnappers were as good as dead. She quickly changed into more utilitarian clothing, picked up the shotgun, a handgun that Michael left at her house, and ammunition for both. The shotgun she stored in the trunk of her car, the handgun went into her purse, and she locked up the house and drove to Fiona's.

Fiona opened the door the moment she knocked and came out with a large duffle bag. "Are you ready? I talked to my friend at the Coast Guard. He wasn't able to help me much. Their communications officer picked up some coordinates that were broadcast from the yacht, but when the Guard went out to check on them, there was no sign of the boat."

Maddie sucked in a breath. "Did it sink?" She followed Fiona to the younger woman's car, stopping only long enough to pick up the shotgun.

Fiona smiled when she saw the weapon. "Maddie, you won't need that. Trust me, I'm well armed." She patted the bag that she dropped into her trunk and slammed the lid closed. "I have a friend with a boat. We're heading to the marina to get it and find the yacht."

"But how will you find it if the coordinates are wrong?" Maddie got into the passenger seat.

"I spoke with Pearce. She's attempting to locate Michael using CIA resources. Hopefully, when we get to the marina, she'll have a lead for us."

"Who are these people that kidnapped them?"

"Pirates, most likely. Believe it or not, they're a thriving lot around the Caribbean islands and the Atlantic between the Bahamas and south Florida.."

"The man on the phone said he wanted two and a half million dollars for Michael, Nate, Sam, and Jesse," Maddie told her. "We don't have that kind of money!"

"It's okay, we won't need it. We'll find the yacht, rescue the men, and teach those pirates a little lesson." Fiona's smile communicated her hope that whatever they did involved blowing something to kingdom come. "Did they give a deadline for when they have to have the money?"

"Nine a.m. tomorrow morning."

"It'll be okay. We'll find Michael before the deadline. And I have faith that Michael will find a way to get everyone out of there, wherever they are. God willing, we'll be around to help."

* * *

Virgil noticed when the sounds above deck stopped. He got out of his seat and went over to Michael, gently jostling him awake. "Mike, I'm not sure but I think the pirates left the ship."

"How do you know?"

"It's been awfully quiet up there."

"Did you check the door to see if it was still locked? If it is, the second you start rattling it, someone will come." Michael sat up, stretched and got to his feet. He reached out and patted Sam on the leg. "Sam, wake up."

Virgil moved to the other side of the room and woke Jesse. "Jesse, come on, man. Wake up. We're gonna go topside and see what's up."

"Huh? What about the pirates?" Jesse mumbled as he came to life.

"We don't know where they are, but they're bein' awful quiet right now. So we're gonna check it out."

Without his tools, Sam had no way to open the door if it was locked. Michael tried the knob and it didn't budge. Sam shook his head. Then Virgil handed him the pocket knife, which Sam was able to slip between the door and the jamb. With a little work, it unlocked and he was able to open the door, only a sliver at first to check what was on the other side.

"Crap, there's one guard," Sam whispered to Michael. "He looks like he's sleeping."

If they had some knockout drugs, they could just inject him and immobilize him immediately. Instead, Michael would have to rely on his martial arts skills to give the man a good long nap.

"You ready Mike?"

"Yes." Sam opened the door and Michael exited the room. The guard heard a noise, awoke, but he was too late. Michael dispatched him quickly and quietly. He waited and listened for sounds of more guards, but there were none. "Okay, let's go up. Jesse, you and Virgil stay here, make sure this guy doesn't cause any problems."

"Oh, it'll be our pleasure," Virgil said with a grin. He and Jesse worked together to tie and gag him. Barry and Nate were awake now, so they helped.

Michael held the pocket knife as a weapon, and Sam grabbed the guard's AK-47. Slowly, they climbed the steps to the deck, looking around and trying to see by the light of the dim lamps on deck and a half moon. The sea rolled casually underneath the vessel.

"There's nobody up here," Sam noted with surprise.

"The other boat is still tethered to ours. Let's go over the entire deck, and if there's no one here but us, we'll untie and get away."

"How? Not without turning on the engines and alerting them. And I guarantee their boat is a lot faster than ours. They'll catch up to us in no time."

"One step at a time, Sam."

They soon found that they were indeed alone, except for the one guard below. Sam and Michael met in the stern, and Sam spoke softly. "These guys are sloppy, Mike."

"Or just really clever. This might be a trap."

"I'm willing to take the chance that they're just stupid and try to get away. Are we taking that guy below with us? Maybe we can use him as leverage if things get tough."

"Yes. If we don't need him for that, at least one of them will be prosecuted for what they've done." Michael untied the pirate's boat from their yacht. "We'll have to work together to pull up the anchor without drawing attention to ourselves. Come on." They stole their way to the front, manually hauled up the anchor, and immediately the boat began to drift. Michael ran to the bridge and Sam followed, covering him with the gun.

Jesse and Virgil came up on deck. The boats slipped farther apart. Virgil picked up a pole with a hook that was strapped to the inside of the yacht's side and with Jesse's help pushed it against the bow of the pirate's boat, causing them to drift farther away.

"Hey! Dey gettin' away!" A pirate appeared on the bow and aimed at the men on the yacht.

Sam fired at him, hitting him squarely in the chest. He lost his grip on the gun as he plunged into the water between the boats. Jesse reached out and snagged their second AK-47 before it hit the water.

Two more pirates appeared on the other boat's deck and fired on them. It was two against two. One of the pirates ran up the deck toward the bow and leaped over the widening gap. He missed, let go of his weapon, and grabbed onto the rail.

"Virg, grab that gun!"

"Got it, Sam!" Virgil scooped it up and grinned as they suddenly had three guns.

"Virgil, get this boat started!" Michael took the gun from him and covered his ascent to the bridge.

Virgil kept his head down, because seven pirates were shooting at them, and the one that clamped onto the rail was climbing into the yacht. Sam swung the butt of his gun up and caught him under the chin, causing the pirate to fall backwards against the rail the moment his feet hit the deck. He drew a pistol and aimed at Sam, but Sam shot first and planted a foot into the man's chest to send him overboard. Nate picked up the gun from the deck and shot at the pirates on the other boat. It was hard to see, but he did the best he could. That's all any of them could do.

The yacht engines stirred and came to life, and Virgil opened up the throttle. Nate lost his footing and pitched toward the back rail. Michael saw him teetering, but he was too far away to do anything. "Nate!"

Sam and Jesse grabbed for him. Jesse caught his arm, and Sam the front of his shirt, and together they kept him from going overboard.

"Thanks, guys!"

"No problem." Sam said, and he and Jesse emptied the guns on the boat that was quickly becoming a small blot on the landscape.

"They're not following us," Nate said, his voice raised in elation.

"Don't get too happy. They're following," Barry announced as he hung onto the rail.

"Nate, Barry, you two get down below and keep an eye on our friend," Michael ordered them. "Sam, Jesse..."

"We're out of ammunition, Mike." Sam broke the news to him with an apologetic look. "We need speed, and hopefully Virgil knows where he's driving us, because I've got a feeling we're not where we started."

"No, we're not," Virgil threw over his shoulder. "But don't you worry, Sammy. I'm a good navigator! I'll get us to Miami." He turned back to the wheel and concentrated on steering them toward the mainland. Far off to the port side he saw faint lights on either an island or a key. There were too many of either in the area, and at this point, it didn't matter. Thanks to the GPS system he knew where they were and which direction to go to make it to the marina. Sam was right. The pirates had towed them several miles out of their way. It would take them almost two hours to return if they didn't have Blackbeard on their tails. _Good thing I filled up on gas before we left._

"I sure wish we had some of Fi's C4 on board," Sam said. "We could have blown that ship to smithereens before getting away."

"Maybe we don't need C4," Virgil shouted down to the men. "Not when there's a well stocked liquor cabinet."

"He's right. Sam, come with me. Jesse, go down below and find as many rags as you can and matches or a lighter."

Jesse grinned. "I'm on it!"

Michael and Sam moved to the front of the yacht where a bar was set up with a sitting area. The two of them grabbed every bottle they could carry. "Man, this has got to be the best stocked bar I've seen on a boat that wasn't a cruise ship," Sam remarked as he carried his load hugged in two arms.

"This just might be what saves us," Michael said.

When they returned to the stern, Jesse sat ripping a sheet into strips. He glanced at the bottles that they set on the deck before him. "Wow, that's a lot of booze!"

"And there's more. At least one more armload," Sam said and turned back to the front of the boat to collect the rest. He stopped a moment to glance back at the sea behind them and saw the ship gaining. "They're faster than we are!"

"Then you better haul ass and get the rest of those bottles, Sam, and help us load 'em with rags," Jesse exclaimed.

Sam ignored the tension in Jesse's tone and raced back for the last of the bottles. He found a case of quality bourbon in a cabinet, mentally tallying up how much it must have cost. _This is going to be one hell of a bar tab!_ He hurried back to the preparations for battle and picked up a pile of rags that were cut and ready to be stuffed into bottles. Before they were within throwing distance, the pirates shot at them. A bullet bounced off the deck and whizzed by Michael's head.

"Think they'd stop shooting if we brought their buddy up on deck," Sam asked.

"I wouldn't count on it," Michael replied. He glanced up at the ever decreasing distance between the two boats. "Another ten to twelve yards and we should be able to start lobbing these at them."

Jesse handed Michael a lighter. "I found two of these down there."

"Just give me a lit one and I'll keep passing off the flame to another bottle," Sam said as he held out a large full one with a rag dangling from the end. Jesse lit it and the flame quickly crawled up to the mouth of the bottle.

"Okay, let's do it," Michael shouted. They lit their first homemade grenades from their cover behind a bench seat. Sam let his fly and it landed on the bow, shattered, and spread flame across the fore deck. One pirate scurried out of the way.

Jesse and Michael threw their first bombs and backed up Sam's salvo. The flames caught on the pirate's pant leg, and he shook his leg trying to put it out, but it only made it worse. Panicking, he dove off the ship into the water. Whether he was alive or not made no difference, because the driver kept on his obsessed journey and left him behind.

"How many guys do they have left," Sam asked.

"I think it's six," Michael replied, "But it doesn't matter. We need to just stop them or take them all out at once."

They continued to throw their bombs while the pirates shot at them. A block of Swiss cheese would have looked in better shape than the seat back the three used for cover between throws. A bullet pierced the seat, and Jesse cried out.

"He's been shot, Mike!"

"I'm okay! Just keep throwing!" Jesse pressed his hand to his upper arm near his shoulder to stop the blood flow.

Sam and Michael picked up the pace. Michael threw one and a pirate caught it, then quickly threw it back. It crashed onto the deck and ignited some of the other bottles. Michael pulled a fire extinguisher from the wall and aimed it at the fire, putting it out. They just lost four good weapons, and he glanced around and noted that they only had a dozen more.

"Sam, we're not going to be able to stop them with these."

"Like hell we're not!" He threw a bottle hard enough to crack the windshield of the bridge, and quickly threw another in the same place. The cracked glass gave way and the flaming bottle shattered on the console. The driver jumped back, shrieking, his clothes on fire.

"Good aim!"

Sam grinned and nodded. They watched as the pirate boat turned in an arc that developed into a circle with no one at the helm. "That should keep them busy for a little awhile." He shouted up to Virgil. "Get us out of here, Virg!" He threw the last of his lit bombs into the back of the boat, setting upholstery on fire.

"Aye!" Virgil had pulled back a little to allow his team to have a shot at disabling the other boat. Now that they'd managed to do so, he kicked it up to full speed and turned them more sharply toward the Florida coastline. If they could keep them off their behinds for another half hour, the chances of catching a Coast Guard patrol would get a whole lot better.


	5. Chapter 5

_Just wanted to thank FicreaderT for bringing to my attention that up until Chapter 4 I hadn't really involved Fiona in a rescue attempt, so when I changed up Chapter 4 to include her, it drastically changed the story. But it turned out to be a good thing, so I have FicreaderT to thank for improving it!_**  
**

**Chapter 5**

Fiona arrived at the marina, pulled out her arsenal, and she and Maddie hurried to the boat. She didn't expect to find Agent Pearce waiting for them.

"What are you doing here? You could have called with the information."

"I know, but I wanted to...well, I wanted to help, and I've brought reinforcements." She swept a hand behind her, and they saw a team of six armed and well-armored men. Pearce was also outfitted to go against the pirates. "Mrs. Westen, I think you better stay here."

"But..." Maddie stammered, and Fiona placed a hand on her harm.

"It's okay, we'll get them back." She turned to Pearce and said, "I'm coming along."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," the other woman said with a slight smile. "We've got some gear you can wear."

"Fine. I already have a boat," Fiona said.

"Yeah, I know which one you're talking about." With the corner of her mouth tipped up, Pearce glanced upward. "We've got something with a little more...power. Come on." She led the way to the empty parking lot, just out of reach of the prop wash from the helicopter blades as two choppers touched down onto the pavement.

Maddie gave her a quick hug. "Be careful, Fiona!"

"I will! And I promise, we'll bring Michael and everyone back in one piece!"

Pearce and Fiona settled into one of the helicopters with two other men armed with high powered rifles and night vision scopes. She took in the similar armaments that Fiona brought with her. "You came well armed. I'm impressed."

"Do you have the coordinates?" Fiona was in no mood for chit-chat.

"Our satellites picked up on a yacht about ten miles from the original coordinates. We'll keep in touch with headquarters to get updated reports as we close in on them." She paused. "Be prepared. It'll only take about twenty minutes for us to get out there."

Fiona nodded. "I'll be ready." She put on the body armor Pearce provided while they streaked across the airspace to find the boat and the missing men. She prayed they were all okay, and if not, well, God help anyone who hurt them.

* * *

The pirate's boat was no longer in the Lady Anne's sights, and Sam was beginning to think that maybe they were home free. He looked through the binoculars one more time, just to satisfy himself that their pursuers were gone. Their pirate below deck had awakened a long time ago and was cussing and threatening them with death if he ever got untied.

"Nate, will you go down there and stuff a bigger wad of something in that guy's mouth to shut him up," Michael asked, gritting his teeth.

"Sure, bro. No problem." Nate disappeared.

"Mike, I'm going to check on Jesse," Sam said as he passed the binoculars to Michael and went below deck as well, except his mission took him to another room.

Sam opened the door and studied Jesse in the soft light from a wall lamp. He was asleep. Sam sat on the edge of the bed and checked his pulse and breathing, then carefully pulled up the thick bandage he applied to Jesse's upper arm near his shoulder. The bleeding had stopped, and the gauze was soaked. He cut it away, then lightly touched the wound with a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol. Jesse jerked in his sleep and moaned.

"Shh, Jesse. It's okay. Just cleaning this up a little." With the blood out of the way, Sam could see that he would need to stitch up the wound. _Thank God these people keep a real med kit on board!_ He was able to give Jesse something for the pain that also kept him out while Sam cleaned the wound and stitched it. He covered it with another gauze pad and taped it to his skin. Jesse moaned again and shifted his position. Sam laid a hand on his forehead, thankful that it was cool to the touch.

"Mike." Sam got Michael's attention in the bridge. He and Virgil stood side by side watching the water stream past as they sped toward Miami.

"Yeah, Sam?" By the glow of the instrument panel, Michael saw the concern on his friend's face. "What's wrong?"

"I patched Jesse up, but we should probably get him to a hospital when we return to Miami."

"We're about forty five, fifty minutes away," Virgil said."We're almost there."

Sam heard a strange sputtering. "Virgil? What's that noise?"

"Uhoh, that's not good." Virgil glanced down at the deck, then returned his gaze to the instrument panel. "Mike, we're almost out of gas." Just as he said it, the engine slowed, gave its last gasp, and died.

"Great. I thought you said you filled up before we left. Michael fought to keep his voice under control. Surely there was a reasonable explanation. "Did we have a slow leak? Maybe the fuel tank got nicked?"

"No, the fuel was fine! It's just...putting this thing on full throttle eats up a lot of gas."

"So we're dead in the water."

"We can radio the Coast Guard," Virgil said, "But then we'd run the risk of the pirates picking up on our signal and taking up the chase. That is, if we didn't completely disable them."

"I'm sure they've got a backup at their helm now," Michael said as he looked around at the blackness beyond the windows. "Are you sure we're going the right way? I don't see any lights on the horizon."

"While we were below deck, they must have towed us. I wouldn't even know if it weren't for the GPS system. We're farther out than where we started, so it'll take a little longer to get back," Virgil answered.

"Great."

"I'm sorry, Mike."

"It's not your fault, Virgil." Michael left the bridge and went down to the deck. He held onto the rail and peered into the darkness, grateful that the pirate boat still had not found them. When he was in Somalia, he became well acquainted with the pirates and their rule of terror on the seas. They were ruthless. These guys were like kids compared to them. Kids with lethal weapons.

After awhile, Michael tired of looking at nothing. He went downstairs. Nate and Barry sat in chairs on either side of the room where the pirate was kept. Michael went in to check on him and found him out and snoring deeply. Something caught his eye to his left, and he discovered that Sam's shirt still hung out of the porthole. Sam was inside checking on Jesse again when Michael entered the other bedroom.

"How's he doing? Any change?"

"He'll be okay. He's gonna be groggy for a little while." Sam looked at Michael and noticed how tired he appeared. "You should take it easy. Grab a nap in the other bedroom."

"There's no time for that. We're dead in the water, and we have to prepare in case our friends come back. I don't know what else we can do."

"Virgil's gonna have to call the Coast Guard on the radio and hope the pirates don't find us before they do."

"I just thought of something. I've got to go talk to Virgil." Michael suddenly darted out of the room and went up on deck. He said, "Virgil, this yacht should have a lifeboat. Does it have an outboard motor?"

"Yeah, it does! It's under the deck back here!" Virgil got down from the bridge and Michael followed. Together, they opened a series of trap doors on the deck to expose a small boat. "There's not a whole lotta gas in that thing, and if we siphon it off and put into the yacht's tank, we might get five miles out of it." Virgil shook his head. "We'd be better off taking the lifeboat and going for shore."

"That boat doesn't look big enough to take us all."

Sam approached them and looked down at the open deck. "You'll be lucky to get four people on that thing, Mike."

Michael took a long time studying Sam and Virgil. His stomach clenched at the thought of leaving two people behind, three including the pirate. These were his friends, his brother. If the pirates came back before they could get help to them, whoever was left would most likely be dead. The gentle rolling of the waves and the anxiety of this decision made him queasy. There was no time for giving in to physical weakness; they had to come up with a plan.

"Mike, you should take Jesse, Nate, and Barry. I'll stay," Sam said.

Virgil nodded as he glanced at Sam and then turned to Michael. "I'll stay too. We're a couple of sea dogs, we can take 'em on if those pirates come back."

"You've got an AK-47 that's almost empty and a half empty nine millimeter."

"And we've got a few molotov's left," Sam added cheerfully. "It's the good stuff, so hey, if the pirates don't get us and nobody rescues us, we've got something to make our last hours go easier."

Michael was thankful for the dim light, which hid the tears forming in his eyes. He couldn't understand how his best friend could be so nonchalant about being stuck on the yacht and facing death. He kept the emotion from creeping into his voice as he said, "No, we should draw for it. Shortest two straws..."

"No. Think about it, Mike! Barry and Nate aren't really capable of handling themselves if this craft gets boarded," Sam reasoned. "Jesse is drugged up right now, so he can't defend himself. Virgil and I are the best candidates to stay behind. Seriously, Mike, you know it's true."

"I can stay..."

"No!" Sam stepped closer into Michael's space and locked eyes with him. "You heard these guys. You're too valuable a prize for them, and you'd just be making yourself a target if you stay. And besides, you've got a woman back home who you're supposed to get married to tomorrow."

"Well, technically, this afternoon," Virgil added as he glanced at the glowing hands of his watch.

"Yeah, you know what I mean. The point is, you've got something, someone, to go home to. We're just a couple of sorry single guys past our prime. Nobody's gonna miss us."

Michael gaped, about to protest, but Virgil stepped in.

"Come on, let's get this boat ready for them."

"Sam..."

"It's for the best, Mike." Sam turned away and he and Virgil cranked the gears that brought the boat out of storage and suspended it over the water.

Michael grabbed his arm and held him back. "Sam, you can't do this!"

Sam's muscles tensed. "Every minute we spend arguing about this is one more minute that the pirates have to catch up to us! Enough! You, Nate, Barry, and Jesse are leaving, and we're staying! No more discussion!"

Michael swallowed as he tried to come up with something convincing, but he knew Sam was right. "Okay. Just...good luck, Sam."

Sam watched Virgil run downstairs to get the others. A lump formed in his throat when he considered that if this didn't work, he might never see Mike again. "We're gonna do the best we can to make it back for the wedding, Mike. If...if I don't..."

"No, Sam, don't say it. You're gonna make it back, because if you don't, I'll hunt you down myself and..." He couldn't finish. Instead, he reached for him and held on tightly. They embraced with the fear and anxiety bonding them. When feet pounded up the stairs, they parted with both of them fighting their emotions.

Sam swallowed hard. "Take care, Mike. And haul butt."

Michael tried to laugh, but it came out more like a choking sound."I will. And you can bet I'm coming back for you guys."

"Thanks."

Jesse was groggy, so Virgil and Nate helped him into the boat. Barry and Michael boarded, and Michael moved around Jesse to get to the motor in back.

Sam and Virgil lowered the boat into the water. They unfastened the ropes and threw them into the small craft, and then Sam gave Michael a salute with a solemness in his eyes.

"Hey, wait a minute! Aren't you guys coming," Barry asked, his eyes wide and darting from Sam and Virgil to Michael."Michael, you can't leave them here with that psycho pirate!"

"Barry, we have no choice. We'd overload the boat, and that would cause a whole new set of problems. We'll hold things down here," Virgil said with a false reassuring grin. "Take care, Mike!" He waved as Michael started up the motor and steered the small boat away from the yacht.

The two men watched until the light gray vessel disappeared into the darkness, not saying a word. The only sound came from waves lapping against the side of the yacht. Then Sam let out a sigh. "Guess we better try the Coast Guard."

"Yeah." Virgil climbed onto the bridge and sat in the comfortable chair to radio for assistance. The GPS gave him the coordinates, but he kept those out of the message until he absolutely needed to reveal them. "Mayday, mayday, mayday, this is the Lady Anne. We have been attacked by pirates. Repeat, we have been attacked by pirates."

_"Lady Anne, this is CIA chopper one, what are your coordinates?"_

Virgil asked, "With whom am I speaking?"

_"This is Agent Pearce of the Central Intelligence Agency. If Michael Westen is aboard, I want to speak with him."_

"He's not available at the moment," Virgil replied.

_"What do you mean he's not available?"_

Sam climbed up into the bridge. "Did I just hear that correctly? Agent Pearce?"

"Yeah. So what?"

_"Lady Anne, please respond!"_

"Let me handle this." Sam took the mic from Virgil."Agent Pearce, please give the code."

_"Amber skies."_

"It's her, Virg! It's really Mike's boss, Agent Pearce!" He spoke into the mic. "Copy, Pearce, this is Sam. Where are you?"

_"We're in a chopper on our way to your coordinates. Can you set off a flare or put on some lights?_

"Affirmative, but make it fast. We're dead in the water right now, and our pirates may be in the vicinity."

_"Copy, Lady Anne. How many persons are on board?"_

"Three, if you include the pirate we captured."

_"Where's Michael?"_

"Mike, Barry, Nate, and Jesse are in a lifeboat heading toward Miami," Sam answered.

_"Copy. We'll radio the Coast Guard to pick them up."_

"Thanks."

_"And you two sit tight, we'll be there soon."_

"Copy! Lady Anne out."

Virgil let out a breath. "So the cavalry is coming, huh?"

"Yep, and the Coast Guard will get Mike and the guys."

"How's our prisoner?"

"He's still tied up tight. I, uh, gave him a little sedative so he'll be quiet for awhile." Sam sat beside Virgil on the wide seat. "I hope Pearce and whoever she has with her can make it soon. I was looking through the binoculars and thought I saw something to the south east. I turned off all the lights below deck and on the main deck. The running lights are still on which will make us look like sitting ducks, but they need to see us from the air, too. The second we hear a chopper in the distance, let's fire off the flare."

"Good idea." Silence fell around them, and they didn't dare break it.

Time dragged. It was like sitting on a stake out, only this time they were the ones being hunted rather than hunting. Sam tuned his ears to every little lap of water against the yacht, and after awhile he heard something different. If he wasn't mistaken, it was the sound of a boat. "Sounds like our friends are back. You grab the AK-47 and the nine mil, and I'll fling molotovs. I've still got the arm for it."

"That was pretty impressive what you did earlier."

"Thanks, Virg." Sam paused to clear his throat and his tone turned serious. "It was great serving with you, man." He held out his hand and he clasped Virgil's tightly.

"Then and now." There was a bittersweet hitch to his voice. "Unless they somehow had guys below deck that didn't show themselves before, they should be down to five guys if you put their helmsman out of commission. There's two of us. Not the best odds."

"I know. I'm trying not to think about that." Sam looked back and saw the outline of a boat that ran completely dark, without running lights. "They're getting closer. You got the guns?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Maybe we better set off the flare gun now, but wait until I throw the first firebomb." Sam slipped out of the seat and stole down to the deck. He lined up the remaining bottles behind the seat, lit two, and popped up from behind his hiding place when the pirate boat got close enough. With lightning quick speed, he threw one as if it were back in high school throwing for the winning touchdown. The flare exploded in the sky, showing off both decks for a few seconds.

Guns fired at him and he ducked down, not bothering to see where the molotov went. But someone yelled as soon as the glass shattered, and he heard the sounds of panic as they tried to put out the fire. The second bottle's rag was nearly burnt into the neck, so he picked it up and fired it at a window. It shattered against it, a wasted shot. A bullet missed his head by inches, and he ducked down again.

Virgil used his ammunition sparingly, but he managed to take advantage of the light provided by the first molotov to pick off a target. The pirates returned fire with everything they had, and Virgil kept trying to take them down one bullet at a time instead of strafing them. He knew he didn't have enough ammunition for that.

Sam lobbed two more bombs into the back of the boat and started a bench seat on fire. This gave Virgil even more light to see by, and the pirate boat was now perpendicular to their stern which made it easier for the pirates to fire on them. It also gave Virgil easier targets and allowed him to switch to the handgun.

When Sam threw the last bottle, the burning rag made contact with his fingers, causing him to go wild with his release. It overshot the boat and landed in the water. He ignored the pain, because he had bigger problems at the moment.

"Virgil, I'm out! Hand me that gun!"

Virgil dumped the AK-47 over the back of the bridge seat and Sam caught it. He heard feet and looked over his cover to see a pirate boarding the yacht. He shot him and he went down easy, but he missed a second one. He prepared to shoot again when his gun jammed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Michael steered the lifeboat toward the lights along the shore, trying not to rush and use up the fuel, but not letting them go slow enough to be vulnerable for too long.

"Michael, I think that's Miami ahead of us," Nate yelled over the whine of the motor.

"Yeah, I think Nate's right!" Barry twisted around to look behind them. "We made it! I don't see anything behind us!"

"Don't get too cocky, Barry. We're not there yet. When we reach the shore, I'll be satisfied."

Michael kept his eyes on the shoreline, his spirits lifting as the light pollution from the city changed the sky from black to navy blue. He heard water splashing and looked around, until he saw the source.

Nate saw it at the same time. "Look, it's a boat! Hey! We're here!" He started waving his arms.

"Hey, knock it off," Barry exclaimed and held his hand down. "You don't know if those are pirates."

"Of course they're not. They're coming from the wrong direction!"

"Nate's right, it's the Coast Guard, not pirates. Let's get their attention." Michael removed his hand from the throttle and shut down their forward progress, then reached into a bag attached to the inside of the boat. He felt around until he located what he wanted, pulled it out, and ignited the fuse on the end. The flare sizzled to life, and he waved it over his head and down to his side, then brought it up and over to his other side slowly. He repeated this several times as the ship got closer.

"Woohoo, they're slowing down!" Nate was so excited, he was about ready to jump out of the lifeboat and swim to the ship.

"They're coming for us," Barry said, his voice giving away his unease. "I hope you guys are right." As the boat neared, someone aimed a spotlight at them and Barry began to panic. "I told you guys! It's them! It's the pirates!"

Someone on the boat called out on the PA. _"This is the Coast Guard. Sit tight, we'll have you all on board in a minute."_

Michael let out a relieved breath. For the first time on this trip, things were going their way. The boat slowed and slipped alongside the lifeboat. Someone lowered a ladder down the side which allowed them all to climb up. Jesse was awake and a little disoriented, but he was able to climb on his own.

Michael was the last one on board, and the captain approached him. "You must be Michael Westen. The CIA really wants you back. They've got two choppers heading for the Lady Anne at this very moment."

"Really."

"We'll take you back to the Coast Guard station, and I'll have my man radio the choppers and let them know we picked you up safe and sound."

"We had to leave two men behind, and we've got a pirate as prisoner on board."

"I'll radio the choppers and relay that information. Don't worry, they'll pick up your friends." The captain gave him a reassuring smile.

"Thanks for coming to get us."

"No problem. It's our job."

* * *

"Sam said that it's just him and two others on board?" Fiona looked at Pearce, her eyes filled with anxiety.

"Yes. Don't worry, I'm sure Michael is okay."

"But the others..."

"Agent Pearce, we have visual on the pirates and the Lady Anne!"

"Proceed with caution and prepare to board both vessels," she ordered as she checked her gear.

* * *

The pirate launched himself over the seat back where Sam took cover, and Sam swung the butt of the gun at him. The man landed on him and pulled a knife. Sam mashed the useless gun against his assailant's face, causing his head to snap back. The pirate's hold loosened, and Sam kicked him and rolled so he found himself on top. He grabbed the wrist of the knife hand and banged it hard against the bulkhead a few times. The knife fell to the deck, he snatched it up, and held it to the man's throat.

"Try me, buddy. Just do it," Sam challenged him. A bullet whizzed past his ear and embedded in the deck, taking his attention away for just a moment. When he turned, the pirate underneath him fought for the upper hand again.

At point blank range, just about any bullet was going to kill him, so Sam leaned his weight on his forearm, which stretched across the neck of the pirate he still had pinned, and he swung his left arm and twisted at the same time to slice at the pirate who tried to shoot him. The pirate jumped back just in time to avoid the tip of the blade. He fired again as Sam got a leg up and made contact with his chest, pushing him away.

Somewhere in all this, he heard a voice yell. "CIA, freeze!"

Sam had no time to figure out the impact of those words, because the man underneath him was almost free. He kicked out and caught Sam in the ribs with enough force to leave him breathless. Another kick completely incapacitated him, and he fell back against the bench seat. He gasped for air as the pirate rose, slid a longer knife from a sheath tied to his pant leg, and with a face full of rage, prepared to bury it deep into Sam's chest. Sam could barely breathe, let alone roll out of the way. His instinct was to close his eyes and wait for the final blow, but he would never go out that way. With wide open eyes, he watched the blade and threw up his arm in a defensive gesture.

Suddenly, his assailant disappeared in a flash of movement. He heard him cry out and his body hit the deck. Curiosity getting the better of the pain in his side, Sam got to his knees, using the seat back to pull himself up. He looked over the top and gaped as Fiona laid the pirate out with a good kick to the head.

Breathing heavily, she turned and looked at him. "Sam, are you okay?"

"Yeah. Fi, where'd you come from?"

She tilted her head toward the sky where the chopper hovered and grinned as she unhooked the line that she used to rappel down to the deck. "I got a little help from the CIA. Go figure!"

"Fi, look out!"

Martienne boarded the yacht and carried a knife in an attack posture, heading straight for Fiona.

"Put the weapon down!"

Virgil heard the authoritative shout, and not knowing if it was meant for him, he lowered his gun but held it at the ready, just in case. Suddenly a team of several heavily armed commandos descended on the decks of both boats. In the spotlight from two choppers, he saw them swarming over the enemy's boat checking it for other pirates. Martienne stood at the back of the Lady Anne with a disgusted look on his face, his hands up and locked behind his head. Virgil watched the entire scene, unable to believe his eyes. Then he recognized Fiona, even under a combat helmet, flak jacket and belts of ammunition, as she secured Martienne's hands behind his back.

"Fiona!"

She looked up at him and smiled. "Virgil! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He looked down and asked, "Sam, you okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks to Fi." _Great, now I owe her for this! And she won't let me forget it, either._

Fiona left Martienne to the commandos and came forward to meet them. "Why didn't you two go with Michael?"

"The boat could only hold four safely," Virgil replied. "And actually, that was probably pushing it a little bit. Besides, somebody had to stay to try to distract the pirates so they could get away."

Fiona stared at them, and her throat constricted. "That was suicide. With the limited weapons you had, if we hadn't come when we did, a couple more minutes and you two would have been killed!"

"Two casualties versus six," Sam said with a shrug. "I think we made the right choice."

The way he said it, so cool and casually, struck Fiona hard in the chest. She knew that Sam loved Michael like a brother, but to make the ultimate sacrifice for him like this overwhelmed her. "I'm glad it didn't come down to that."

"Me too. I'm looking forward to seeing Mike get married," Sam cracked.

His joking demeanor did her in, and she grasped him and drew him close. "Thank you, Sam."

He put his arms around her and gently patted her back, a layer of Kevlar between them. "Hey now, save the crying for the wedding, Fi."

She immediately pulled back and looked up at him. "You think I'd cry over this? Please!" Her eyes betrayed her. At the sight of his smug expression, she turned away. "Come along, let's get you out of here."

"Hey, what about the yacht," Virgil asked. "Our buddy's gonna be pretty upset if we just leave it here to drift!"

Pearce replied, "Don't worry, we're leaving a small crew here. Another ship is coming to pick up the pirates and they have fuel for the yacht. It'll be returned to the marina."

"Good. Then I've got my work cut out for me. I gotta clean this thing up before Jerry sees it."

"Don't worry, Virgil, I'll help you," Sam said. He glanced around, not sure how they would fix some of the damage. He just knew it would take time, and it wasn't going to be cheap.

"Thanks, Sammy!"

The two men were lifted up via cable into the chopper hovering above, followed by Fiona and Agent Pearce. They settled into seats and took one last look at the yacht below them. In the east, the sky was beginning to lighten, a testament to just how long they'd been out on the water. One of the flight crew closed the sliding door, and the chopper turned in an arc and flew away.

"Where are we headed now," Sam asked Pearce.

"We're going to the Coast Guard station. I just got word that Michael and the others are there waiting."

Sam let out a breath and leaned back into his seat, relief on his face. "Glad to hear it. By the way, how did you know about us being stuck out here?"

"Martienne called Mrs. Westen, and me, demanding a ransom. I coordinated with Fiona, the agency was able to locate the yacht, and we came out to extract you."

"You make it sound so easy." He probed his side where the pirate kicked him. It hurt just to brush his fingers across the area. Then he examined the backs of his fingers where the burning rag touched them. Each digit felt as if someone stuck hot needles deep into every layer.

Pearce noticed. "We'll have a medic check you all out before you're cleared."

Fiona reached into her gear and pulled out a cold pack. She broke it to activate the chemicals and handed it to Sam. "Here, this might help."

"Thanks, Fi." It eased the pain somewhat, but he would just have to suck it up and let nature take its course. To keep his mind off of it, he looked out the port window and saw the coast of Miami lit up like a field of jewels. His eyes were transfixed on the sight, because he thought he'd never see it again. He and Virgil never said a word about it, but he knew that they were both prepared to fight to the death if necessary, if it meant the others got to safety because of their actions.

The chopper slowed and hovered, and it descended gracefully to the tarmac. When the pilot shut down the engine, they unbuckled themselves and got off. Sam looked around, searching for his friends. Fiona saw them first.

"Michael!" She shrieked and ran for him, and he rushed to meet her. The couple became a twist of arms and bodies pressed close, their lips locked so intently that nothing could tear them apart. Sam watched and his smile turned into a grin. Virgil stopped beside him with Maddie clinging to his side.

"Seeing that makes it all worthwhile, don't it," Virgil said while his gaze fixed on the couple.

"Oh yeah. That was the only acceptable outcome to this situation," Sam replied.

"Sam!" Maddie broke away from Virgil and gave him a tight hug. "If something had happened to you and Virgil..."

"It's okay, Maddie. We're fine." He could barely get the words out because her compressing his midsection caused screaming pain.

She pulled away and looked up at him, saw the agony on his face and said, "You're not okay! What happened to you?"

"It's nothing to worry about, Maddie. I'll be good as new in time for the wedding."

"Sam, Virgil, I need you both to come with me," Agent Pearce said, and her face showed her reluctance to break up the reunions. "I need to debrief you all and have someone take a look at any injuries you may have."

"Where's Jesse," Virgil asked.

"He's already being looked at. The others are being interviewed. This really shouldn't take more than a half hour, and then you can go home and get some rest before the wedding." She smiled, turned, and led them to the Coast Guard station house.

"Well, you gotta admit, this'll be one bachelor party he'll never forget," Virgil teased as he walked beside Sam, who could only turn slitted eyes his way. The older man laughed and slapped him on the back. "Seriously, I've been to a lot of 'em, and this one was definitely unique."

"You're kidding, right? I was trying to get him away from all that crap, and we wound up smack dab in the middle of another day at the office!"

"Maybe I need to join you boys on a mission or two. It gets the old blood pumping again."

Sam turned to him. "Virgil, I think you need your head examined."

His statement only caused Virgil to laugh harder. "I love your sense of humor, Sammy."

Once they were all cleared to go, the group stood outside the Coast Guard station watching the sun rise over the water.

"I never thought I'd be so glad to see Miami," Jesse said as he slowly turned toward the city.

"How are you, Jesse," Fiona asked.

"I'm good. Unfortunately, Sam gave me enough sedative to keep me out for awhile so I missed everything."

"Yeah, well, you're much better off for it, pal. Trust me." Sam held up his bandaged hand as proof, trying not to lift it too high and aggravate his injured ribs.

"Are you okay," Barry asked as he studied him.

"I'm fine. I thought I might have had some broken ribs, but they're just bruised really bad. All that working out... it pays to have abs of steel, baby!"

Michael rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't go that far."

"Hey, I'm working on it!" Sam chuckled.

One of Nate's limos pulled up at the gate. Jesse grinned. "Well, it looks like our ride is here. We'll see you all later!"

Barry, Nate, and Jesse headed for the limo, and Michael asked Sam, "Aren't you going with them?"

"Nah, I called Gina to come pick me up. She should be here soon."

"Okay. Otherwise, we could give you a ride back."

"No problem, Mike. I mean, Maddie's going to have a full car with you two and Virgil. Don't worry, I'm good." He scanned the street, waiting for Gina's cream colored Cadillac. Then he turned to his friend. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure." He and Sam moved away from the others. "What's up?"

Apology was written all over Sam's face. "I'm sorry, Mike. I really meant for this to be a nice relaxing cruise. If I'd known about the pirate activity so close to Miami, I would have had Virgil stick closer to the coast or take us out fishing in the day time instead."

"It's not your fault. I hadn't even given piracy a thought. Otherwise, I might have said something." He smiled and patted Sam's shoulder. "We made it back in time for the wedding, so you don't have to worry about Fi."

Sam scowled. "What do you mean, worry about Fi?"

"She was pretty upset about this whole thing, but like I told her, it wasn't something you planned. It just happened." Michael gave him a reassuring smile.

"Hey, if I wanted to plan a pirate invasion, we would have gone to Disney World."

Michael laughed. "She says you owe me."

"Yeah, well, we'll wait until you get back from the honeymoon. Hopefully that'll go a lot smoother."

A short blast of a horn got their attention, and Sam turned his head. He saw what he was waiting for, and a smile spread across his face. "My ride's here, Mike. I'll see you at the chapel at twelve thirty, right?"

"Yes. We need time to get dressed and take some pictures."

"Okay, I'll see you then, brother!" He waved to Fiona, Maddie and Virgil and walked to the gate.

The three watched with interest. Before he reached the gate, Gina got out of her car and stood in front of the bumper, her weight on one leg. But they could see her anxiety as she shifted from one leg to the other and her movements became more agitated as he neared. Sam passed through the open gate, and with three strides and open arms, she pulled him to herself and kissed him. He put his hands around her tiny waist and kept her at a slight distance. She pulled back with incomprehension on her face, but it quickly disappeared as he spoke to her. Then she pulled his lips down to hers and kissed him again, only this time she treated his sore body with more care.

"Awww, isn't that sweet," Maddie cried.

"Yeah, it's adorable," Michael replied, suddenly all business. "We better get going. I'd like to try to get a little sleep before the wedding. If that's okay with you, Fi."

"You might want to rest, but I still have things to do! I have a hair appointment, I need to get my nails done, and I have to stop at the travel agent to pick up the tickets and itinerary!"

"Don't worry, honey, we'll get it all done in plenty of time," Maddie said, and the two women walked ahead of the men, their heads together, discussing everything that still needed to be accomplished before the wedding.

"I never knew this would get so complicated," Michael said.

Virgil walked beside him to the car. "Yeah, that's what happens when women do stuff!"

Before they reached the car, Michael stopped him. "Virgil, I don't know...did Fi invite you to the wedding?"

"Yes, she did!" He beamed.

"Oh, good. Just wanted to make sure, that's all."

Virgil thought it was more than that. After his actions on the yacht, he knew that Michael now saw him in a different light, as a man that he could entrust to take care of his mother. For that, he was thankful. It was just a shame that it took something like this to bring about a change of heart.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

As soon as they were alone, Gina's smile dissolved into a serious expression as she glanced at his bandaged hand. "Sam, we need to talk."

"Yeah, I planned on telling you what happened to us last night."

Her look softened, and she asked, "Really? It wasn't something top secret?"

"No, it was just supposed to be an innocent sunset cruise. Let's go get some breakfast and I'll tell you all about it."

Gina drove them down the causeway to her home. "I think you need to clean up and change before we go anywhere."

Sam glanced down at himself. "Yeah, I guess I came out of this one a little worse than usual." He just realized that he left his shirt on the yacht, if it was still hanging out the porthole. Hopefully when he and Virgil worked on fixing up the boat after the wedding, he would be able to retrieve it. And hopefully it would be in good condition after the beating it must have taken during their flight. The rest of his clothes didn't look much better, smudged with dirt and ripped in places.

"Maybe it would be better if we stayed at home, and you can tell me now, because I'm mystified as to how this happened." She let out a small sigh and placed both hands on the steering wheel. By the way she gripped it, he could tell she was not happy. There'd been issues before due to his activities with Michael and Fi, and he suspected that she was tiring of this.

He took a breath, collected his thoughts, and filled her in on their bachelor excursion gone wrong. The entire time, she wore a look of disbelief and now and then shook her head.

"I don't understand how you can go out on a cruise and wind up being attacked by pirates," Gina said as she pulled into the driveway. "I mean, that's insane!"

"Not really. Our biggest mistake was going too far out in the water. If we'd stayed within sight of shore, we probably would have been okay." Sam got out of the car and followed her inside. "I'm going to jump in the shower and change, I'll be down in a bit."

"Be careful with that bandaged hand!" She headed toward the kitchen while Sam went upstairs.

He picked out some clean clothes to change into and ducked into the bathroom. Before getting into the shower, he removed the bandage from his hand. It didn't look too bad, and in fact, exposing the burns to air would probably be a good thing, so he left it open. He stepped into the steaming shower and took care with how he used his hand.

"Sam?" The sliding door moved and Gina stood on the other side smiling at him. She held up a rubber glove and waved it. "I thought maybe you could use this to keep your hand dry."

"Thanks." He grinned and appreciated her resourcefulness. "But I decided it might be better to just leave it out in the air." He held up his hand long enough for her to get a glance at it.

"It looks terrible, but... you might still want to be careful with it." She looked up at him with a playful smile. "Need any help in there?"

"Wow, what an offer. As tempting as that is, I better get this done so we have time to grab some breakfast. Then I might try to get a little sleep."

She sighed dramatically, leaned sideways so she had a better view of him, and her smile wiped off her face when she saw the bruising on his left side. "Sam! How did that happen?"

"I told you that pirate kicked me...twice." He ran a hand over the tender ribs. "It's okay, nothing's broken." He looked at Gina and saw sadness in her eyes. He reached out and caressed her cheek. "Really, I'll be fine, baby."

She shook her head. "How can you be so casual about it? After all this time and all the things you've told me about some of your other scrapes..." She paused. "I don't know how you can keep doing these things!" She turned away and the bathroom door closed behind her as she left him alone.

Sam closed the shower door and finished washing off the grime from his ordeal. There wasn't anything he could do about how Gina felt. At least now she had a truer picture of what he did. When they dealt with Kira being left at Fi's and unraveling the mystery as to why she was abandoned, Gina thought it was exciting, like the novels she read. She wanted to help, but when things looked like they might be dangerous, he refused her. She didn't understand that this was real life, blood and bruises, and everything else that went with triumphing over bad guys. If she couldn't handle his work, decisions needed to be made. Either he had to quit, or he and Gina couldn't be together. He shook his head. He wasn't ready to make that sacrifice one way or the other.

Sam dressed and stepped into the kitchen, hoping to find Gina there, but the room was empty. He looked out the sliding glass doors, but she wasn't at the pool either. She was nowhere to be found in any of the rooms downstairs. He went to the front door, shielded his eyes against the bright sun, and peered at the driveway. Her car was gone.

"Where'd she go," Sam muttered to himself. In the kitchen, he picked up the phone and called her cell, but she didn't answer it. _Well, I guess the decision's been made for me. She left without saying she was leaving. She must want me out of here._

He found a pad of paper and pen, bent over the kitchen island, and tried to think of the kindest way to say goodbye. He really liked Gina, and he'd hoped this time he hit the jackpot when it came to love. But it wasn't meant to be. When Gina returned, Sam planned on being gone. He had enough emergency cash to get him a cab to Mike's place, and with luck, he could stay there while the newlyweds went on their honeymoon. By then his life would be back to normal, at least identification wise, and he'd have his own place again.

"Sam? I'm back!" Gina's voice echoed in the foyer and her heels clicked on the marble floor as she closed in on him. She entered the kitchen and stared at him standing next to the island with his wide eyes full of guilt as he tried to get the key off his key ring. "I just ran to the store for some eggs, and..." The words came out thick and soft. She set a bag on the island, saw the note he just finished writing, and her hand gently grasped his elbow. "What are you doing?"

He looked down into eyes that were uncomprehending. "I...I thought you took off to give me time to get out."

"Get out? Why would I want you to do that?" A spark lit up her eyes and she slowly nodded. "I understand. You thought that I was mad at you and couldn't handle everything you told me. Sam, I love you." Her smile was tender as she turned him to face her, and she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. "I wasn't planning on falling in love with a guy who goes off on all these missions and things like a spy, but I can adjust." She kissed him until they both felt as if bolts of electricity ran up and down their bodies. "The question is, are you willing to put up with me?"

"I don't understand. What's there to put up with? You're perfect."

"I'm far from it, but I'm flattered that you think I am." The smile that lit up her face was amazing, and it made him realize that he'd read her all wrong. She closed in for another kiss. "You've got a few things to learn about me yet." She kissed him again until his knees grew weak, and she whispered against his lips, "What did you have to do before the wedding?"

He wrapped his arms around her and held her as close as he could with his sore ribs. "Um...nothing important."

A few minutes later, the cab driver rang the doorbell, but there was no answer.

* * *

Fiona stood in the dressing room putting the finishing touches on her makeup. Maddie played with the ringlets of hair trailing down from Fiona's updo, spritzing them with hairspray to keep them in place. The clock on the wall showed that it was twelve fifty. Fiona expected to be excited, but not like this! The butterflies threatened to beat a hole in her stomach so they could escape.

"Are you okay?" Maddie smiled at her in the mirror.

Fiona gave her a shaky smile. "Of course, why shouldn't I be?"

A knock sounded on the door. "Hang on." Maddie went to answer it and found her younger son on the other side looking extremely agitated. "Nate, what are you doing?"

"Ma," Nate whispered so Fiona wouldn't hear. "Michael isn't here yet. We were supposed to do the guys' pictures at twelve thirty, and he didn't show up. I got a hold of Sam, and he went over there to check on him, but that was a while ago."

"What? He should have been here by now," she rasped and looked back at Fiona. Thankfully, the younger woman was too intent on straightening the crown of flowers in her hair to notice. "Did you try calling?"

"He lost his phone to the pirates, remember?"

"Oh." Her lips set into a firm, bright red line. "Well, go to the loft and get him, and hopefully Sam is there too! Michael is not backing out and letting my daughter-in-law wait in vain at the altar!"

"Y-yes, Ma!" Nate hurried down the hall and Maddie closed the door.

She turned and found Fiona standing before her ready to step down the aisle, her bouquet held tightly in her hands and a tense look on her face. "It's about Michael, isn't it."

Maddie grimaced. "Nate is getting him, honey. Don't worry, he'll be here!"

* * *

Sam and Gina climbed the stairs to the loft and Sam poked his head inside. "Hey Mikey, you ready to go? Oh, great!"

"What? What's wrong?" Gina slipped inside with him and they approached the figure laid out on the bed. Michael was still asleep, his body twisted in the sheets.

"Mike, wake up! Come on, buddy, you're late!"

While Sam leaned over and woke Michael, Gina hurried across the open space to the stairs leading to the office loft, where Michael's suit bag hung. She unzipped it and checked to make sure everything was inside.

"Sam?" Michael groaned. "What time is it?" He glared at the clock on the bed side table. "I thought I set the alarm for ten. It's...twelve thirty five?" Whatever remnant of weariness still ran through him flushed out with a surge of adrenaline as he scrambled out of bed.

"Mike, watch that," Sam said as he pointed to the sheet and made motions for him to keep it around himself.

That's when Michael looked up and saw Gina smiling at him, waggling a silent hello with her fingers. "You better get in gear, Michael. You don't want to keep a woman waiting at the altar, especially this one, from what I hear."

"No, I definitely don't want to do that!" Holding up his makeshift covering, Michael rushed to the bathroom to take a quick shower and finish making himself presentable. Sam handed him the suit through a chink in the door. In less than ten minutes, he came out tugging on his tie. He stopped and slipped into his shoes while Sam finished straightening the tie for him. His hair was wet and unruly, and he ran his hands through it. Fortunately for him, it was easy to tame.

"I don't think I've ever seen you dress so fast, Mike." Sam chuckled and slapped a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go!" The three ran down the stairs. As they approached the car, Sam said, "Sweetie, you better let me drive. We're already way too late for the pictures, and we've got about ten minutes to get him there for the ceremony."

She slipped her sunglasses on while she pursed her lips and stood next to the open driver's side door, her weight on one stiletto heeled foot and one hand on her hip. "Sam. Michael. Get in, shut up, and put on your seat belts. That's all I've got to say."

Gina wasn't kidding around. She knew Miami well enough to take the shortest route of back streets, avoiding the police, while getting Michael to the chapel with five minutes to spare when she screeched to a halt in the circular drive. She pushed on Sam's arm and said, "Go! Get him in there! I'll park and be right in!"

Sam opened the back door and said, "You heard the lady, Mikey. Let's go!" Despite the jarring that running caused his ribs, Sam rushed to the chapel with Michael.

"Sam, where did you find this woman?"

"I'll tell you some other time. Why do you ask?"

At the top of the steps, he replied, slightly out of breath, "She reminds me of Fi."

Sam gasped a reply. "Oh, please, don't even say that!" He led Michael into the narthex where Maddie waited.

"Just in time, both of you!" She exclaimed. "I'll get Fiona." Maddie hurried to the dressing room.

Sam led Michael down the aisle and they fell into step by the time they approached the minister standing on the platform waiting for them. Michael got into position and Sam stood to his right. He slipped his hand into his pocket, feeling a sudden irrational fear that the rings wouldn't be there. To his relief, they were, and he let out a breath.

The organist played and Maddie came out in front, then Fiona walked by herself down the aisle of the nearly empty chapel. Nate, Ruth and Charlie sat on Michael's side with Barry, Jesse, and their dates. Gina sat on the end of one row. On Fiona's side, the girls from the card party sat, a couple of them with their male friends. There were a few former clients and friends scattered on both sides. Agent Pearce ducked in to the far right of Michael's side just as Fiona reached him.

The bride and groom's eyes were locked on each other during the entire ceremony. Michael was captivated by her. He had no idea what he was saying, just repeated what he was supposed to repeat. It wasn't that he didn't care. Rather, he was so enthralled with her and the fact that this was finally happening, that nothing could tear them apart ever again. It was an overwhelming feeling. He almost dropped the ring when Sam handed it to him, but he kept his cool and slipped it onto her finger without a hitch. When it would go no further, suddenly she was Mrs. Michael Westen, and that concept didn't scare him anymore. He just wanted to get the rest of the day over with so they could be together and go away, just the two of them, for a week.

Fiona watched keenly as she noticed the intensity in Michael's eyes when he repeated the vows. Somehow, she had a feeling if she asked him to repeat them later, he wouldn't have a clue what he'd said. It didn't matter, because she knew that the words embedded themselves deep in his heart. Still, her fingers shook a little as she took the ring from Sam and put it on Michael's finger. She'd waited for this day for so long, and even at the end, it almost didn't happen. But the fact that it did said so much more than words how much he loved her, and that they would be together forever. No running from each other, no more excuses. The only running away she wanted to do was to the cozy little hotel room on a quiet island where they could be together for a whole week without interruptions. No clients, no CIA...it was going to be great. But first, they had to get through the rest of the day.

After the ceremony and the photographs, the party moved to a small restaurant along the coast. As far as receptions go, it was a small, intimate affair with about twenty guests. They took over the patio, dined and danced under a brilliant blue sky that slowly faded to mauve and darkened to a navy blue. Michael didn't pay attention. He was too busy discovering how good it felt to relax. When they first arrived, he kept his eyes on everyone, searching for someone who didn't belong. Fiona noticed, and she read the look on his face.

"Michael, these are our friends and your family. No one is here to ruin our day by attacking or killing us, so...just...loosen up, will you?" She whispered to him as she clamped her hand onto his arm.

"I'll feel a lot better when we get to our destination. Wherever that is." He looked down at her. "Why won't you tell me?"

"I want it to be a surprise," she replied with a smile. "Just know that it'll be a nice, out of the way place, where our every need will be taken care of while we're there. So we can just concentrate on each other." She placed a tender kiss at the pulse point of his neck, and she nuzzled his jaw. "This is going to be the best thing that's happened to you in a long time. You really need a break!"

"Yeah, the cruise from hell didn't help matters."

Fiona laughed, and he put an arm around her. "I don't think Sam will ever live that one down, will he."

"Afraid not." Michael sighed. "I know he meant well, and it was out of his control...never mind. I don't want to think about it any more. I want...to dance with my wife!" He plucked the glass out of her hand, set it on a table, and spun her out to the middle of the patio where other couples swayed to the music under strings of paper lanterns.

They moved as one around the dance floor, focused on each other through the rest of the song. The music changed, but they kept dancing. They did so little of this, not counting all the emotional waltzing they'd done for so long. Michael glanced around at the others. He saw Nate and Ruth locked in a tight embrace as they danced. It was the first time he'd seen her look so happy. When they moved from Vegas, he really didn't expect their marriage to survive. Maintaining a respectable distance from her in-laws probably helped, and keeping Nate out of their affairs certainly didn't hurt. She couldn't handle the things they dealt with almost daily.

Sam and Gina were locked in a tight embrace, shuffling more than dancing. They way she kissed him sent sparks flying across the dance floor. If Michael didn't know how gun shy Sam was about marriage, he'd think they were the next to get hitched. When it came to love and romance, Michael could be hopelessly lost sometimes, but he wasn't entirely clueless. The looks that passed between them were more than just lust. There was something going on there.

"Isn't it sweet," Fiona said softly into Michael's ear.

"What? What's sweet?" He murmured in return.

"Gina and Sam! Please, Michael, don't tell me you can't see how much in love they are!"

"Really, I hadn't noticed," he said with a teasing smile.

"You...you're terrible sometimes!" She gave him a playful pat on the cheek and shook her head. "Maybe once you've had a chance to let go, you'll be more perceptive."

The music ended, he dipped her and said, "I'm looking forward to trying." Then he kissed her, and the crowd around the couple cheered them on.

* * *

Their flight left late, so after the excitement of the day before and the wedding and reception, Michael was beat. No sooner were they in the air, than he fell asleep with his head leaning on Fiona's shoulder. She smiled, rested a hand along his cheek, and tilted her head to rest against his. She was still too keyed up to sleep, so she just remained still through most of the trip. When their plane touched down on the island, she gently woke him and they disembarked to find a small bus waiting for them and a few other couples to take them to the resort. After that, they had nothing but time on their hands and no place that they had to be, and for once in decades, Michael finally really let his hair down, figuratively speaking.

_A/N: No, this is not the end! There are more waves to be made!_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Sandy Cove Island was small with only the all inclusive resort on it. When they'd touched down on the main island, a bus took them to a waiting boat that dropped them off on the island and remained docked unless the guests wanted to go to nearby islands to shop or take in the sights. Fiona and Michael, however, needed no sights but each other that first day. Between naps with bodies entwined, they showered one another with affection and love. It was liberating for Michael, and for the first time, Fiona didn't need violence as foreplay. He could get used to that.

In an effort to record for a lifetime the significant occasion of Michael Westen spending a week relaxing without the worry of a case or the CIA breathing down his neck, Fiona took ample amounts of photographs, things that only she would appreciate. Anyone else might gag at how cute and sweet they were, but she would treasure them forever.

Michael heard the click of the camera and knew he'd been caught again. Before opening his eyes, he mentally assessed what he might have looked like. He'd been asleep, on his stomach, one arm tucked under his head, and the other stretched out toward her pillow. _I don't know why she has to take all these pictures. It's not like I'm going anywhere and she needs all these cutesy photos to remember me!_ He slowly opened one eye and looked at her. The camera clicked again.

"Fi, what are you doing," Michael asked.

"Just recording this for posterity. I mean, no one will will believe that you, Michael Westen, actually slept!"

He laughed and a grin spread across his face. He pushed himself up from the pillow and sat in the middle of the bed, rumpled sheets matching his rumpled hair. "Everybody knows I sleep, once in awhile."

"Now we have photographic proof." Fiona grinned in response. She set the camera on the night stand, knelt on the mattress and crawled toward him. "So, what are we going to do today?"

"I didn't know we had to do anything," Michael said as he glanced around the room. "I thought we were just fine doing what we were doing yesterday hanging out at the pool and the beach. When we weren't in here."

The grin never left Fiona's face. "I had a feeling you'd say that." She surged forward, grasping his face with her hands and kissed him wildly, her lips capturing his for but a moment, then moving lower, ambushing him and leaving him weak. He fell back down to the mattress and she straddled him. The look on her face was one of smug satisfaction.

"You're such an easy one to conquer, Michael. I never realized that before."

"Maybe it's this place." He reached up for her and pulled her body down, kissed her, and then he gave as good as he got, rolling so she lay beneath him. "Then again, maybe you're delusional." He laughed and bathed her with kisses.

Afterward, they lay side by side with the air conditioning cooling off their bodies, whisking away the evidence of their lovemaking. Michael threw an arm over his head and let out a deep sigh. "Fi, I could get used to this."

"What?" She turned into his side and laid a hand on his chest, flitting over it with feather light touches of her fingertips.

Michael smiled. "This. Just laying here with you, doing nothing in between doing... something."

"I'm glad. It's obvious that you've deprived yourself of this for far too long."

"I know." He sobered and looked at her with intent eyes. "Give me a few more days of this relaxing stuff, and I just might learn to incorporate it into real life."

"We can only hope." Fiona grinned. "Let's go out and do something today."

Michael raised an eyebrow. "Is that legal in public around here?"

"Michael!" She slapped his shoulder playfully. "That's not what I meant." She laid her chin on his chest, looked up with pleading eyes, and said, "Let's go to the main island and do some shopping."

"Shopping." Michael closed his eyes and pressed his head back into the pillows. "We're supposed to be getting away from it all."

"I know. I would just like to find some jewelry, you know, some charming little thing made by one of the residents."

"Okay, fine." He relented. _I promised myself I was going to let Fi have her way this week. Might as well do this now, since we only have three days left._ Despite settling in and having fun, he still counted the days. Only now he looked forward with disappointment that they would have to go back to their real life soon. "Let's get something to eat and go. Do they have a schedule for the boat shuttle?"

Fiona slithered off the bed, picked up a thick guest guide lying on the dresser, and flipped through it until she found what she sought. "No, it's on demand. Coming back to the island, they have set times and a phone number to call if we were to miss the last one at eleven p.m."

"I don't think we'll be there that long," he said. He went through the suitcase and found some clean clothes. "I'll be out in a few minutes." He took his turn in the shower, which had more than enough room for two. He was a little disappointed that she didn't come to join him. When he emerged from the bathroom, she was still looking through the guide. "Must be a lot of good stuff in there."

She jumped. "Sorry! I was just reading up on the market in town and some of the recreational opportunities available on the main island, as well as here. We should go over there, rent a couple of bicycles, and ride around. Wouldn't that be fun?"

"Yeah, it could be." He took the guide from her. "Now, it's your turn. The sooner we get over there, the sooner we can explore." His smile was genuine at the thought of just wandering around with no objective other than to enjoy the scenery and time with each other. The longer he spent relaxing, the more he wanted it. It was as if his soul starved for peace, and now that he had a true taste of it, he couldn't get enough.

Fiona took pictures along the narrow asphalt roads that meandered around the island. Before the day was done, he was certain that they would have covered them all. Fortunately it was all pretty level terrain, but even so, he knew they would feel it later when they lay in bed that night. But Michael didn't care. He drank it all in, from the sweet and salty scent of flowering bushes mixing with the sea air carried by a gentle warm breeze, to the sounds and activity in the marketplace. They found a little cafe with small round tables and ate lunch there, some spicy meat and cabbage dish he'd never heard of before, washed down with a couple glasses of wine. Michael sat back in his chair and observed the mashup of foreign languages as tourists from all over the globe examined the wares, attempting to negotiate with the native residents for a bargain. It reminded him of Nigeria, where he'd been burned.

_I'm not going there. I am definitely not going there!_

"Michael, is there something wrong?" Fiona picked up on the change in his expression.

He shook his head and gave her a smile. "Just trying to exorcise a memory from the past. This kind of reminds me of where I was burned."

"I'm sorry, I should have..."

"No, Fi." He held up a hand to stop her. "It's okay. We'll go check out the market after we eat, and maybe once I get immersed in it, experience a different perspective than what I'm used to when I'm in a foreign country, it won't be a big deal."

"Alright. I just don't want this to be a problem."

"No problem." He finished off his wine and glanced at her plate. "Didn't like your dish?"

"I suppose I was just too distracted by the scenery." She wiggled her eyebrows at him with a leer on her face.

"There's plenty of time for that later." He reached out and caressed her cheek. "Come on, let's go explore this market." After paying the check and finishing off the bottle of wine, they got up, walked their bikes across the street, and spent some time roaming the square.

Michael bought Fi a lovely necklace made of small shells that reflected the blue green of her eyes, and after she walked away fingering it around her neck, he stayed back and bought a couple of matching bracelets to surprise her.

"Fi, wait up!"

She stepped into the crudely painted crosswalk after looking for traffic, not realizing he wasn't beside her. A truck came from out of nowhere barreling right for her, and the driver stomped on the brakes to avoid a collision. She heard the noise, her head whipped around, and she jumped back to the curb. She released the bicycle as she did so and watched as the truck's front tires stopped within inches of it.

"Hey, are you okay?" Michael stood beside her, his bicycle discarded on the pavement, as he clutched her arm.

"Yes. Oh my god, that driver could have killed me!"

The driver, a dark skinned man with a contrite look on his face, got out of his truck and approached them. "Little lady, are you okay?"

"Yes, barely. Didn't you see I was in the crosswalk?" She pointed to the two parallel lines with hashed lines between them.

"Sorry, ma'am. I was distracted...by your beauty." He smiled, revealing white teeth that contrasted sharply with his skin tone. "Please forgive me."

"Look pal, I don't know what you're trying to pull here..." Michael said, knowing full well that the man was trying to flirt with Fiona, and it brought out a jealous streak in him.

Fiona suddenly felt a tug on her hip bag. She turned at the sensation to find another man to her left trying to steal it. Anger blasted to the surface, and she let a fist fly. It made contact with the side of his face and he staggered into a booth near the sidewalk. He glared at Fiona and unconsciously put his hand up to his face as he righted himself.

Michael grabbed his arms, pulled them behind him, and wouldn't let go. "What were you trying to do, huh? Did you and your buddy in the truck plan this whole thing out?" He turned to find that the truck driver picked up Fiona's bike and set it beside his, then watched the scene being played out. "You!" He jutted his chin at the driver. "Did you have something to do with this?"

"No, mister. I have never seen this man before in my life."

Michael studied the face of the perp he held in his powerful grip, and he glanced at the driver. His cynical and cautious nature made him look for signs that the driver was really an accomplice, but the only expression he saw was one of guilt on the man who tried to steal Fiona's bag. "So you're saying this guy just decided to take an opportunity?"

"Yes, sir."

Two police officers wearing bright white shirts with black pants and matching black hats approached. One of them hung his thumbs in his utility belt and shook his head. "Michael, you at it again?"

Michael's wide eyes bored into the officer. He tried in vain to remember the man, but he didn't know him. Before he could respond, however, the man locked in his grip answered.

"I got a wife and three kids to feed. I cannot find a job. So what do you expect me to do, let them starve?"

The officer didn't answer. He sighed and reached out for the other Michael's arm. "Come along, man. Let's go down to the station."

"Now, wait a minute." Michael released his namesake and stared. His clothes appeared as if they'd been beaten on a rock one too many times. Worry etched his brow. But there was something about him that jogged his memory, a mission long ago in Nigeria, well before he was burned. His eyes widened as he removed his sunglasses to get a better look at him. "Michael Benwije?"

The man looked deeply into Michael's eyes and a bright smile crossed his face. "Michael Westen! Is it really you?"

Michael grinned. "Yes, it's really me." Realizing that they had an audience, he turned to the officer. "Thanks, but, um, you can forget about taking this man to the station. I mean, what'll happen, right, especially if we refuse to press charges."

"You're serious, you don't want to have him arrested?"

"Yes. Mick and I go way back." He tossed an arm around the man's shoulders. "It's okay. We've got a lot of catching up to do!"

Reluctantly, the two officers backed off and left them. The truck driver, shaking his head, got back into his vehicle and left the scene. Only Fiona stood watching the two, puzzled at this strange reunion.

"Michael, aren't you going to introduce us?"

"Oh yeah, Fi! I'm sorry. This is Michael Benwije, an old friend from when I spent some time in Nigeria. Mick, this is my wife, Fiona."

Mick turned to her and he beamed as he took her hand, rested it in his palm and covered it with his other hand. "Ah, so you've finally settled down, Michael! And with a beautiful, but fiery, woman." He laughed. "I would have expected no less, if you ever married."

"We're on our honeymoon," Fiona told him, still not sure about the man, although his hands conveyed trust as he still held hers.

His eyes widened even more and his mouth made an 'o' as he squeezed her hand. "Oh my my my, then I more than humbly apologize for attempting to steal from you, beautiful Fiona! I am sorry, and I hope that my actions do not mar the rest of your visit to our lovely island." His hand patted her hand, and his charming speech caused her to smile at him.

"Hey, Mick, why don't you come with us? I want to find out what you've been up to, and how you came here." Michael smiled. "It's a long way from the continent."

"I know! There is so much to tell!"

Michael and Fiona picked up their bicycles, and Michael gave her the bracelets that he'd dropped underneath his bike when he prepared to rescue her from the truck. "Michael, you shouldn't have! But I'm glad you did." She grinned and quickly put them on her wrist, twisting her arm to make them sway and click together, picking up the sunlight.

"A beautiful choice," Mick said. "Now, let us go over to this cantina." He led them to a bar nearby, and over a few beers, he leaned in close and told them what brought him to the island.

"After you left Nigeria so abruptly that last time, I heard you were burned, Michael. It was then that I feared for my life, because whoever got you would surely not think twice to out me." He took a sip of his beer. "So I fled, and after a long journey I found a contact in Cameroon. He helped me obtain a new identity and safe passage here."

"You've been here all this time?"

"Yes. And I am no longer Michael Benwije. I am Michael LaCroix. I have been living here like a native, married a sweet local gal, and we have tree darlin' babes."

"So you settled down and retired from the spy business?" Fiona asked as she looked pointedly at Michael.

"Well... yes and no. Now and then, an operative contacts me for information, or they ask me to watch someone." Mick shook his head. "You would not believe how many agents come here for vacation." He laughed. "I never expected to see you here, Michael! When I knew you, you never stopped working!"

"Fi's trying to break me of that habit."

"I suppose bein' burned will do that to a man, cause you to live like normal people and settle down wit a good woman." Mick looked at Fiona again and gave her a warm smile.

"The people who orchestrated my burn notice are gone now, and there are virtually no roadblocks left to keep me from getting back into the agency."

"And that makes you happy, yes?" Mick studied Michael.

Michael smiled, knowing that he would have to tell the truth. He still hadn't gotten used to it himself, after spending so much time and energy trying to snag the brass ring. "I'm working for them until things change with Fi and me. When we start a family, I can't do it anymore."

"I understand completely. Now you know why I am here trying to eke out an existence! When I worked as an informant, I had money. Now, cut off, I have nothing." He paused and a huge grin spread across his face. "But I am happier than I've ever been. And I think you will be too, once you have your own little ones."

"I'm sure you're right." Michael felt that someone was watching them. He looked around casually and noticed a man sitting at a small table nearby. He hid behind a glass, but his narrowed eyes bored into Michael. Michael didn't recognize him.

"Mick, do you have... people... watching you here?"

"No. There is no one!" He leaned closer and asked, "Why do you ask? Is someone watching us?"

"Yeah, a guy back there near the bar." Michael turned his head and discovered that he was gone. A half empty glass was the only evidence that he had been there. "He was at that table."

"I should leave. I do not want to get you involved when you're here to relax."

"What do you mean, involved?" Mick started to get up from his seat, but Michael clamped his hand on his friend's wrist. "What are you talking about? If you're in danger..."

"No, no danger. Please, let me go. This has nothing to do with you." He slipped out of Michael's grip, stood so abruptly that his chair fell over, and he tore out of the bar.

Fiona jumped out of her own seat and righted his chair. "Michael, we can't just let him go like that! It doesn't matter that we're on our honeymoon. That man needs help!" She hurried away and stopped at the curb, looking down the street in the direction she'd seen Mick run. Fiona turned back to Michael and beckoned him with her hand. "Come on! We have to hurry or we'll lose him!"

Michael grumbled under his breath, threw down a twenty on the table, and ran after her. They hopped on their bikes and rode down the street for a few blocks before it became clear that they lost him. Fiona pulled over to the curb and stopped, her head swiveling around.

"We have to find him!"

"Fi, it's okay. Mick knows how to disappear for awhile if necessary. He'll be fine."

Her gaze locked on his, and her voice came out strained as her eyes moistened. "But it's not just him anymore. He has a family that needs protection too!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Fi, let's go visit the police station and see if they'll help us find Mick's residence. If he didn't go there, we can at least make sure his family is safe."

She nodded and got back on her bicycle. After consulting a map and getting directions from a local, they found the small whitewashed building on a side street. A police car parked in front was the only indication that it was the right place. They locked up their bikes on a tree and went inside. A dark skinned young woman in a police uniform sat at a desk that looked as if it came directly from the 1940s, but a very modern computer sat on the top with a telephone and a wire in-box. To her right sat a small pile of files, and she was typing something. She looked up, smiled and asked, "Is there something I can do for you two?"

"We're looking for some information, and hopefully you can provide it. We ran into an old friend of mine earlier, but he left before I could get his address. Apparently, he's been brought in here before, and we were hoping that you could look into his records and give us the address."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Sir, I cannot do that."

"But you don't understand, we have reason to believe he's in danger. He and his family."

Fiona added, "He has three children, just babies, really."

She pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. "If you'll give me his name, I can have a police officer check on him at his home."

"This could be life or death."

She tapped the pen on the paper. "His name, Sir?"

Michael replied with a grave expression on his face, hoping the woman would understand the seriousness of this situation. "His name is Michael LaCroix."

The woman seemed to be familiar with the name, as she pursed her lips and wrote it on the paper. "And your name, Sir?"

"Michael Westen. I knew him a long time ago."

The receptionist looked intently at him. "I will have one of our men check out his residence. I am afraid that's all I can do."

"It's something. Thank you." Michael nodded, resigned that they weren't getting help from he authorities.

"You're welcome." She typed something into the computer. "As soon as this prints, I will need your signature on it, Mr. Westen."

"Sure. What is it?"

The paper spit out of the printer near her left elbow and she handed it to him. "It's a report for the police call. Nothing to worry about."

Michael quickly scanned the paper and noted that it included Mick's name and address on it. He made a mental note of the information, signed the paper, and thanked her again. He wasn't sure if she was aware that she'd just given him what he needed until they left the station and he heard the grinding of a paper shredder. He turned, saw her turn off the machine, and twist back around to see him watching. She winked at him and went back to her work.

"Well, that was interesting," Fiona said. "I take it you got the address."

"Yes. Apparently, the police aren't really that interested in checking on the family of a man who has been in trouble with the law. But for some reason, she was sympathetic enough to help us out without seeming to assist."

"Clever lady."

"Maybe not so clever. She didn't bother to find out if our story was legit. We could be a couple of killers, and she just led us to his house."

"Either way, we're taking care of their problem for them. Nice." Fiona nodded with a solemn expression on her face. "Wonderful police force on this island. We should retire here, I'd feel so safe."

Her statement would be funny if he didn't know she was being sarcastic. Michael pulled out the map and looked for the street. "Okay, Mick's house is on Whitstone Street, three blocks north of here. Let's ride."

"Wait a minute. Michael, there he is," Fiona exclaimed, keeping her voice under control as she turned and nodded almost imperceptibly toward the south.

"And he's not alone. Let's see what we can find out, don't get too close." Michael unlocked the bikes and they walked them down the street into the marketplace where they saw Mick walking with the two other men.

They were dressed in suits, and from behind Fiona could see that one had a gun pressed into Mick's back. "What could these men want from him?"

"I don't know. That's why we need to get closer, listen in if we can, and then get Mick out of there." He looked at her bicycle. It had a short platform on the back for strapping cargo. "Fi, let's switch bikes. If we need to extract Mick immediately, I should take the bike that he can ride with me."

Fiona shook her head and wore a strange smirk on her face. "I've been in many a chase, but never one on bicycles. I'm not sure how we'll manage it."

"As long as these guys don't have a car they can jump into, we'll be fine."

"But they have guns. A bullet is far quicker than a bike."

"So we have to pedal hard and dodge the best we can." Michael grinned at her, and she shook her head again.

The two men pushed Mick through an open door and slammed it behind them. Michael stopped at a booth nearby, Fiona halted beside him, and asked, "Now, what do we do?"

"We wait, or we figure out a way to get in there if the door is locked."

Fiona studied the building. It had a second story, but it was farther back on the structure. "It must lead to a hallway and then a set of stairs." She shaded her eyes against the angled afternoon sun. "See that covered stairway on the side? It goes right up there."

"If there's a way to get up there without being seen, I could see what's going on." He handed Fiona his bike. "Stay here, I'll do some snooping around."

She opened her mouth but he was already gone down the street. She watched as he found an alley and ducked into it. No doubt he would find another behind the building and locate a foothold so he could climb to the roof. He was gone a long time, and she began to worry about her location. Perhaps Mick's 'friends' saw her and got suspicious. She moved herself and the bikes behind the booth in the space between it and the building, where they couldn't see her. _If he's not back in five minutes, I'm going in after him. Gun or no gun!_ She hated being unarmed. It made her feel naked. And while naked could be fun in certain circumstances, when you're up against some bad men, it was a distinct disadvantage that she preferred not to entertain.

_It's time. He's long overdue! _Fiona glanced at her watch. She leaned the bikes against the wall and heard a sound. Michael and Mick came out through the wooden door. Michael was all business, but Mick looked frightened.

She waited until they were in front of her before speaking. "Michael, what took you so long? And I thought we were doing the extraction together!"

"Change of plans." Using Mick as a shield, he handed Fiona a gun. "Courtesy of our friends up there."

"What happened? Who are those men?"

"Let's go find a secure place and talk."

"Let us go to my house and get my family."

"No, you can't go back there!" Michael blurted. "That's the first place they'll look for you. No, is there a hotel around here? We'll get a room for you, pick up your family, and then we're all getting out of here."

Mick sighed heavily and finally nodded. "Alright. Dere's a place up on Monaco. Tis not fancy, but it will do."

"Okay." None of them talked about what happened until they were securely holed up in a small room in the hotel. It was rundown, but obviously had at one time been a very nice place to stay. It was old, and the walls were solid plaster, making it more difficult for someone to listen through them.

Mick paced the floor. "Now, you go get my family, yes?"

"In a minute. I want to know what this is all about, Mick. What do these men want with you?"

"I do a job for dem. Dey want me to plant information dat will hurt a man politically. He is a bad man, Michael, badder dan dese men who want me to do dis. I did as dey asked, but now..." Mick let out a deep sigh. "Dey want me to do more. Kill a man. I cannot do dat. I am troo wit killin'."

"We'll get you out of here, and you won't have to kill anybody. And we'll make sure your family is safe."

"Who are these people, Mick," Fiona asked.

"Tis better dat you not know, Fiona. If dey succeed in dere plan... Dis man dey want me to discredit and kill is bad, but I fear what will come next. Only my fear for my family's safety makes me do dere work."

"Don't worry, Mick. We'll help you." She gave him a smile, then checked the gun that Michael gave her. "It's full. Good. We shouldn't need that many bullets, but just in case..."

"Let's go, Fi, and get Mick's family." He turned to his friend. "You stay here, and don't let anyone in. You hear me?"

Mick nodded vigorously. "Of course, Michael. I am not so far gone from de old days to forget." His smile was wide and full of gratitude. "Hurry."

* * *

He and Fiona rode their bicycles up to the street and turned left, and Michael found the small one-story bungalow among a lot of other one-story bungalows that showed their wear with cracks in the foundations and stucco walls, their once brilliant colors faded by the sun. The front door was open, with a screen door letting in a natural breeze. No one on the street appeared to have a car. Bicycles, and burros penned in some back yards, seemed to be the most popular choice of transportation.

"The ones with the burros must be the rich people." Fiona remarked as her face registered pity at the level of poverty they saw everywhere on the island amidst the illusion of a tropical paradise. She laid her bicycle on the front lawn and Michael followed. Their shadows fell inside and lay on the tile floor when they stopped at the door. A baby screamed, and they heard feet hurrying to the child. A woman noticed them on her way into the kitchen with a baby in her arms.

"Oh, hello! I'll be right wit ya. Just a moment."

The woman was as tall as Fiona without her platform shoes. Indeed, she wore no shoes at all, and her feet showed the rigors of living barefoot. She was thin but wiry, her clothes worn, but her face was extraordinarily beautiful without a dab of makeup. A sunshine emanated from her despite her poor circumstances. She approached the screen door with the quieted baby on her hip. The child clung to his mother's dress with balled up fists, his curly black hair as wild as his big brown eyes.

"I know you, mister." The woman's voice came out as a whisper. "You... you are an old friend of Michael's! Your name is Michael too!" Her teeth were glaringly white against her skin as she grinned at him.

Michael smiled. "How did you know?"

"Come in, come in! I show you! My name is Moniqua." She unlatched the screen and let the two inside, standing back to let them through before locking it again. "I know, 'tis not much for security, but it keeps the chillen from escapin'." She laughed lightly and moved around them to the living room. "Come, see. Michael bring dis picture from home. He tell me you were de very best friend he had in Nigeria." She held up a framed photograph. The frame itself was fashioned by hand from driftwood, smoother than anything store bought. Michael studied the fading picture inside under glass.

"I remember when this was taken." He showed it to Fiona. "It was about five years before... before I was burned." He pointed out Michael and himself standing next to each other with a couple of other men in front of a church, and his finger drifted over to someone familiar who stood in the shade of a tree. "Sam was there, too. This other guy, that was Leo."

The way he said the name, Fiona suspected that Leo was no longer walking the earth. "I see," she said with a solemn tone, then looked at the woman. "Have you seen Michael, your husband Michael, recently?"

"I saw him leave dis morning to look for a way to make money. We have a garden, but it is not enough wit tree wee ones. Did you see him in town?"

Michael and Fiona quickly explained their odd run in with him and how quickly he disappeared, and they found him again. Moniqua's face lost it's shine as her brow crinkled. She held her baby closer and said, "Michael, my husband was afraid dis would happen. He always saw people looking at him. He spent too many years looking at dem, now dey look back, and I knew he would pay."

"He is in trouble, Moniqua, but we have him somewhere safe right now." Michael studied her as she nodded.

"Dat's a relief! Two weeks ago he get some money from a man who wanted him to keep an eye on another. He never tell me why, or who he was. Too dangerous, he say." Moniqua blinked rapidly. "I knew notting, but I feel... I feel he should not have done it."

"Are there any places where Mick might have told you to flee to for safety?"

"Yes. He say to go to dis address." She turned over the frame, opened the back, and showed him an address on a small piece of paper taped to the back of the frame. "We go here."

"I would suggest you go there, then. We'll accompany you, to make sure you make it safely, and then we'll bring Mick to you. After that, we're all getting out of here." Fiona said as she placed a comforting hand on Moniqua's shoulder. "Pack things for a few days, and then we'll leave. Do you have any way to transport the children?"

"Yes. We have a small wagon for Amani here and Debora. Henri is older, he can walk." She looked around at the living area, then her eyes stopped on Fiona. "Would you please take Amani for a moment while I get de other chillen and our tings together?"

"I'd be delighted to," Fiona grinned and took the baby from her. The little boy fussed, but when she sat on a chair and bounced him, he smiled as he gnawed on his fingers. He even squealed a little in amusement. Fiona laughed and played with him.

Michael wandered around the living room and stopped at the front door. He looked out the screen and scanned the area, his senses on alert again. _There goes peace and serenity, right out the window._ His gaze locked on a familiar face. _It's Mick. _"Fi, I'll be right back."

From where she sat, Fiona saw Mick approaching. "What is he doing?"

"I'll find out. Stay here."

"Okay, don't go too far."

"I won't." He opened the door and walked out to the street. Mick saw him and his face registered shock and fear. Michael waited for him to approach before he asked the questions on his mind. "Mick, what happened? I told you to stay put!"

"Michael, dey found me dere at da hotel. I had to flee."

As they talked, Fiona came outside, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Michael," she began, then smiled, realizing she had to be more specific about who she addressed. "Mick, what happened?"

"I had to leave before dey killed me. I am troo with dese people. We need to leave now, but where, or how, I have no idea."

"Who are they," Fiona asked.

Mick shook his hands in front of himself, saying, "You are better off not knowing, Fiona. Truly, dey are bad people."

Fiona hated knowing only half the story, but Mick was adamant about not telling more. She bounced Amani on her hip. "Okay, we'll wait here. Get your family together and then we'll see if we can get you somewhere safe."

"Tank you," Mick said with a wide grin before hurrying into the house.

"We'll keep an eye out for your friends," Michael added.

The anxiety melted from Mick's face as he nodded. "Tank you, Michael. I always knew I could count on you, my friend." He shook Michael's hand, smiled at Fiona, and hurried to the house.

Michael muttered something under his breath, then spoke aloud. "Okay, how are we going to get all of them off this island?"

Fiona asked, "Can you call Virgil? Maybe he and Sam can get a fast boat and come here and pick them up, take them to Miami, and then they could seek asylum."

"Yeah, I think that's our only option. But it'll take hours for a speedboat to get here, and until then we have to protect this family." Michael pulled out the new phone he picked up before they left the States. He dialed Sam's number, which he knew by heart.

"Hello," Sam answered.

"Sam, it's me. I wasn't sure if this number would still work."

"Hey, Mikey! I picked up a new phone the other day and transferred the number. What are you doing calling me? Aren't you off on some paradise island or something?"

"Yes, but something's come up. I need you to contact Virgil, and..."

Michael was interrupted by a loud explosion. The concussion knocked him and Fiona to the ground as the front of Mick's house suddenly blew out toward them and into the street. Flames shot out and licked at what was left of the roof. They heard screams and people came running from their houses to gape at the fire and smoke.

"Mike! Mike, what the hell just happened?"

"Sam, we're fine." Michael stood and helped Fi get up with Amani in her arms. The baby wailed, and she tried her best to soothe him. "Sam, do you remember Michael Benwije?"

"Oh, wow, that's a name I haven't heard in ages! Why do you ask?"

"I think he was just blown up with his wife and two kids."

"Jeez, Mike! Why?"

"He got involved with the wrong people." As he spoke, he looked to the east and saw two men standing outside a sedan watching. Their eyes locked on the couple with the baby, and they got into their vehicle. It started moving toward them. "We need to get out of here fast. Can you call Virgil and have him get a speedboat, meet us on Sandy Cove Island? We'll be packed and ready to go."

"Yeah, we'll be there, Mike. It'll take about three hours if we push it, once we get a boat."

"Just get here as fast as you can. If you need to call, use my old number. It works on this phone."

"No problem, brother." Sam let out a breath. "We'll be there."

Michael hung up and heard sirens. He saw Fiona trying to get closer to the house to look for survivors, but the flames were too hot. "Fi, get away from there!"

She came back to his side with tears streaming down her face. "They're gone, Michael. I went around the house, hoping to find someone alive, but the back looks even worse than the front. I... I think I saw them inside. It wasn't pretty."

"All of them? Michael, Moniqua, and the other two kids?" He glanced back to the street, but the sedan was gone.

Fiona nodded and swiped at the tears. A fire engine turned in to the street. Michael grabbed the bikes and started walking. "Let's get out of the way, Fi, and just keep walking. And keep your eyes peeled for a black sedan. Two guys in suits were standing outside of it just down the block right after the explosion."

"They detonated it remotely... they killed them all in cold blood. Monsters. Only monsters stoop to kill little children." Living in Ireland, she'd seen many young lives cut off by bombs and guns. Sometimes it was unavoidable in those days, but whenever possible, she tried to avoid hurting or killing innocent babes. "What about Amani?"

"He's coming with us. We're not leaving this kid here, because whoever did this will probably waste no time trying to kill him too if they find out he survived." As they walked in the opposite direction from where the trucks arrived, Michael outlined his plan. "Sam will call Virgil and hopefully he can get a boat to pick us up from Sandy Cove Island. By the time they arrive we should be packed and ready to leave, and we'll take Amani with us. I can probably pull a few strings at the agency, get him a new birth certificate and identity, and make him disappear, in a sense."

"It's so sad. I can't believe that someone could do this. And for what reason?"

"Mick made the mistake of being so desperate to feed his family that he got in bed with the wrong people. The minute his conscience pricked him and he refused to do any more, it was too late: he was in too deep. You know in the spy business you make a lot of enemies, and when your protection goes away, you're vulnerable. You know that, Fi."

"I know. It doesn't make it any more acceptable."

* * *

When they boarded the boat to get to Sandy Cove Island, the other passengers gave them odd looks. Fiona only smiled at them and said, "We came here to adopt this adorable little boy!" That seemed to satisfy the onlookers, and some even congratulated them. Michael put his arm around her, as much for support as for protection. Not that he could do much if someone tried something, but it at least put him slightly at ease. With a boat full of innocent people, he didn't want to have a firefight. As soon as the boat docked, they hurried to their room, packed, and he left Fiona there to wait while he went to the dock in search of their ride. He tried calling Sam again but it went straight to voice mail. He was probably on his way with Virgil and out of cell range.

A half hour later, Michael tried again as he saw a boat in the distance. Again, it went to voice mail. "Sam, as soon as you get this, call me. Or when you dock at the island, we're in Bungalow C, as in Charlie, room 109."

On his way back to the room, he kept his eye on his surroundings, looking for suspicious people or someone who looked as if they didn't belong there. He didn't want a tail following him to the room. He made it back safely and locked the door behind him.

"Are they here yet?"

"No. I left a message for Sam. Hopefully he'll get it and come here. Otherwise, I'll do another check in a half hour or so to see if they're at the dock."

His phone rang and he answered. "Hello."

"Mike, it's me. I just got your voice mail, and I'm on my way to your room with Gina."

"You brought Gina along?" Michael met Fiona's surprised gaze with one of his own.

"Yeah, it's a long story, Mike. Since she's here, together we'll look like a couple of guests just wandering around. I'll talk to you in a bit."

"Okay, we're ready to go."

A couple of minutes later, Michael heard the signal knock on their door and went to answer it. Gina and Sam stood on the other side, grinning as if they were there for a casual visit.

"Come on in!" Michael ushered them inside and closed the door. "We didn't expect Sam to bring you, Gina. Is Virgil along too?"

"Yeah, he's at the boat. We better get moving, Mike." Sam grabbed the larger suitcase. Michael took a smaller one and a carry on bag. "You didn't check out yet, did you?"

"It's all done automatically," Fiona answered. "We have a package deal, so we're paid up for another two days. Unfortunately." She looked around the room and sighed. "Well, this baby's safety is more important than our little love nest. Let's go!"

"They won't realize that we're gone until the maid comes in," Michael spoke softly as he stepped into the hallway and looked both ways. It was clear.

Fiona followed, and Gina stepped behind Fiona as they left the room. Before they moved toward the exit, Sam reached around inside the door, pulled off the Do Not Disturb sign, and hung it on the doorknob. "There you go. That'll keep housekeeping out a little longer."

Michael nodded and inclined his head toward the right. "Alright, let's go that way and take a back path around to the dock."

Michael and Sam led their group hauling the luggage, shielding Fiona and Amani. Gina brought up the rear, and Fiona heard the distinct sound of a safety being pulled back. She glanced at Gina who smiled at her and patted the straw purse slung over her shoulder. It was all Fiona could do to keep the surprise off her face. _Who is this woman, that she would come armed?_ Fiona noticed her watching the surroundings as they slipped through a thin cover of palmettos. Whoever she was, she was well trained. When they got back home, Sam had some explaining to do. No. A lot of explaining.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Their group made it to the dock without incident and easily found the boat. The island ferry was gone, leaving it the only craft tied to the dock. Virgil sat at the helm waiting for them to return, and he smiled and waved as they approached.

"Hey Mike, Fiona! You're looking well rested and relaxed...sort of." His eyes lit on the baby. "Mike, what's with this woman of yours? Is she always findin' babies, or what?"

Michael replied, his face set in a grim expression. "Just untie us and get us out of here!" He dropped his load onto the deck out of the way of the seats, and Fiona sat next to him on one end of the bench at the back of the boat. Michael put his arm around her, and together they shielded Amani. Gina got in and took a seat that faced backwards, her purse on her lap with easy access to her gun if necessary. Sam dropped the suitcase next to Michael's load and joined her.

"We're all aboard, Virgil!"

"Okay, Sammy!" He untied the boat, hopped in, and started the motor.

Some people on the beach shielded their eyes from the sun and watched them leave, but no one made a fuss or started shooting. Virgil turned the craft and headed for the ocean. Soon they were cruising at full speed and the island became a tiny blip on the horizon. The main island slipped away to their left and before long there was nothing but open water all around them.

Gina got up and approached Fiona and Michael. "Fiona, don't you think it's a little windy out here for the baby? Why don't we go below deck with him."

"That sounds like a good idea." They had to shout to be heard over the loud engines. She got up and carried Amani down into a nicely decorated lower deck that was equipped with a bedroom, galley, eating area, and a bathroom. "This is nice."

"Thanks." Gina replied. When Fiona stared at her she added, "It was my late husband's boat. Good thing I didn't get rid of it. I was thinking about it, but in this economy, unless I sold it to a drug runner, I doubt I'd get what it's worth." The corner of her mouth tipped up. "Now, after this, I'll definitely hang onto it for awhile. It may come in handy for some other rescue mission."

"Where were you when the men were out on the ocean dealing with pirates?"

She frowned and sat at the table across from Fiona. "Unfortunately, I was working. I had no idea what had happened until Sam called me. And then I cut a meeting short so I could pick him up. Not that I like working on Saturdays anyway." She got up, opened a small cabinet, and said, "We don't have anything to eat except maybe some crackers or something, but I think there's soda and bottled water in the fridge. I haven't been on this boat since before Trent died over a year ago."

"A water would be nice. Thank you."

Gina pulled out two and twisted off the cap for Fiona, since she had her hands full with a squirmy baby. She smiled at him with sadness in her eyes. "He is so adorable. It's a shame he's an orphan."

"I know. I bet he's thirsty, but I don't think he's going to drink out of a bottle like this." She tried, but it quickly became evident that he didn't have the motor skills to make it work.

"Sorry, I don't have any baby bottles on board, little guy," Gina said as she gently tweaked his cheek. He squealed, giggled, and wriggled even more. "What's going to happen to him?"

"Michael said we might be able to get him a new identity and birth certificate, but after that, I have no idea."

"My son is all grown up and gone to college in New York. He was an only child. I can't imagine becoming an only child and an orphan in one day. It's so sad. My heart just goes out to the little guy, but... my circumstances... it just wouldn't work." She sniffled and blinked away the tears in her eyes. "Otherwise, I would take him in a heartbeat!" She reached out a hand and lightly caressed his soft curls.

"I'm thinking that maybe Michael and I could keep him, at least for the time being. We're trying to start our own family, but Amani wouldn't be a bad way to begin." She smiled.

"I suppose, since you had Kira with you for awhile, you're feeling up to the challenge, huh." Gina grinned as she leaned her chin on her hand, her elbow resting on the table. "It seems like ages since Trent Jr. was so little!" She sighed deeply, and in her eyes Fiona saw the years of good memories pass through her mind. "One piece of advice, Fiona... they grow up way too fast. When they drive you nuts and you think you can't take any more, just remember that, because some day you'll be wishing they could be in diapers again." She laughed.

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you have only one child?"

Gina's smile fell away. "I wanted to have more, but my husband and I had a rocky patch where we knew it wasn't fair to put one, let alone two, through that period. By the time we worked things out, it was too late. I had some issues that prevented me from getting pregnant again. Age'll do that to you, so the sooner you can do it, the better off you are."

Fiona thought about her own biological clock. It was nearly a time bomb, and there were occasions where she wondered if she was even capable of conceiving. She'd been preparing for it for the past few months. She was in the best shape and health of her life, and only something out of her control could prevent her dream from coming true.

"I think that because I waited as long as I did with Trent Jr., I was able to bring a maturity to motherhood that I wouldn't have otherwise had if I'd had him when I was in my twenties."

Fiona gaped at her. "I'm sorry, but... how old are you now?" She didn't look a day over forty, forty two at the most.

"I don't mind spilling the beans. I'm fifty two. I was thirty two when I had Trent Jr., and his father and I were married eight years before he was born." She smiled and chuckled a little. "We got all the wildness and selfishness out of our systems first, so we could focus on our son. And my husband's business was doing quite well by then, so he had more freedom to be a hang around kind of dad. Those are times that we'll never forget." Her eyes grew misty as she told her about the good times.

Fiona watched the parade of emotions cross Gina's face as she told both funny and sad stories. The woman was intensely proud of her son and supported his decision to go to college for medicine instead of business like his father wanted. In a way, Fiona was glad they were forced into this situation, because she doubted she would have otherwise had a chance to see this side of the mysterious woman in Sam's life. _I wonder if Sam's even heard these things! If he has, he must know how lucky he is to have found her._

While the women talked, Michael and Sam remained with Virgil, watching for anyone following them. They were all alone out on the water, but as they neared Miami they came across a couple of cruise ships going into port. Virgil avoided them and aimed the boat toward the marina where Gina kept it docked. He cut the engines and let the craft slip into the empty space.

"Do you fellas think you'll need me," Virgil asked "I've gotta tie up this baby and secure it if we're done."

"No, we'll be okay now," Michael replied. "Thanks for coming to get us."

"Not a problem! Anything to help that poor little kid. If there's anything else you need, you just let me know, Mike."

Michael nodded and went down to get Fi and Gina. He heard laughter and then entered the galley where the two women sat. Amani gnawed on a saltine, but he didn't look too thrilled with it.

"Michael, are we taking Amani home with us?" Fiona looked up at him with an expectant sparkle in her eyes.

"Yeah, for now," he answered as he took in the sight of the two women entertaining Amani. Up to now, their interactions with Gina gave him the impression that she was standoffish and reserved, but she and Fiona seemed to be getting along very well.

"It's a good thing we didn't get rid of all that baby stuff, although the clothes are for a girl."

"I talked to Sam about that." Michael turned toward Gina. "Sam said you two would take us home and then you'll go to his storage place to get the baby stuff. Amani will just have to make do with girl's clothes until we can go shopping."

"Oh, nonsense!" Gina exclaimed, the smile on her face widening. "Sam and I can pick up a few things! If I still had Trent's stuff, I could just bring that all over, but that's okay. I'll drag Sam along and I'll find some really nice stuff for Amani." Gina paused, only now realizing that the boat wasn't moving. "Are we in the marina?"

"Virgil just tied us down. He'll get the boat closed up for you."

"Wonderful! Let's go get this sweet baby settled into his new home!" Gina popped out of her seat and led the way up to the deck.

"Wow, you'd think he was her kid," Michael remarked as he watched her practically dance up the stairs.

"She likes children. And I really like her, Michael. I think Sam's found a genuinely good woman this time." She smiled as she stood and walked past him with Amani.

While they traveled across the water, Michael filled Sam and Virgil in on what happened on the island, and they all agreed that it was safest for him and Fiona to keep Amani until his identity could be changed. Then it was anybody's guess as to what would happen.

* * *

Sam's new car, a mocha colored Cadillac, was full of baby things with barely any room for himself and Gina. With Michael's help they unloaded the car and brought up everything that had been in storage, plus new things that Gina insisted on buying for Amani. The baby slept in the middle of Michael and Fiona's bed with rolled up towels around him to prevent him from falling off an edge. The men set up the brand new crib and Fiona transferred him into it. When he woke, she fed him, changed his diaper, and then laid him down again.

"It's getting dark outside," Fiona said. "I wonder if he'll be able to sleep through the noise downstairs when the club opens."

"I guess we'll find out," Michael spoke as he watched the little boy sleep.

Sam put an arm around Gina's waist. "Hey, G, we should probably leave these two alone with their new family."

"I was thinking maybe we could go get some dinner, bring it back here, and it'll give them a chance to get acquainted with me." She smiled at Michael and Fiona. "Even though Fiona and I had a great time talking earlier, I don't know anything about Michael, other than what you've told me, sweetheart. And we can talk about..."

"Yeah." Sam interrupted her, glanced at Michael and Fiona, and moved his arm to curl around Gina's shoulders. "We've got something to tell you two."

"We'll be back soon. Chinese sound good?" Michael and Fiona nodded, and Gina waved. "See you all in a little while!"

Fiona thought she would bust if someone didn't say something soon, but Gina and Sam took their time setting the table, for the time being a discarded cable spool, while everyone chatted about the newlywed's trip. When she didn't think she could take any more, they all sat around to eat.

Sam noticed the look on Fiona's face. It was time to completely introduce Gina to his friends. "Well, I suppose we better tell them, G. Fi looks like she's just about ready to jump out of her skin."

Gina laughed and tucked a lock of her shoulder length dark hair behind her ear. "It's nothing really exciting. You know how Sam and I met, right?"

"Hmm, no, he never mentioned that," Michael said as he looked back and forth between the two. "He said it was a long story, but that's about it."

"We met at Mystique," Sam said. "Remember when we had that case with the con artist who was smuggling..."

Michael and Fi nodded, and she said, "Oh yes, I remember, shortly before the Rollins couple left Kira on my doorstep. The case that required a lot of stake outs." She smiled at Michael and leaned into his shoulder. "And a lot of dancing."

Michael interrupted her thoughts. "Yes, I remember. So you met at Mystique, and..."

Gina leaned forward and looked deep into Michael's eyes as she said, "You destroyed my case."

"What?"

"You busted the guy that I'd been keeping an eye on for six months. I thought I was getting close enough to nab him myself, and then this guy came in...this Chuck Finley." She jerked a thumb toward Sam, but the look on her face was anything but annoyed. "That threw me for a loop." She glanced at Sam. "In more ways than one." She let out a short laugh, then sobered and returned her attention to Michael and Fiona. "When 'Chuck' started coming in and he appeared to be working with the owners, I thought I had something even juicier, but next thing I knew the case was closed. I had no idea that Chuck was really Sam and that you were all working together."

"So you work with the Miami PD?" Michael asked, sizing her up. She looked too wealthy to be a detective.

"No. I'm with the FBI. I know, I don't look like an agent," she said as she leaned back against Sam's arm. "I'd been in the bureau a couple of years before I married. Now, I pretty much work because I like it. I certainly don't need the paycheck." She paused and added, "My late husband owned a plastics company. Well, he was part owner, and I sold his share after he died. We were set before that, but... anyway, that's not really important."

Michael asked, with a hint of betrayal in his eyes, "When did you find out about this, Sam, that she was working for the Feds?"

"While you guys were gone."

"But how did you two get together after that mission?" Fiona asked as she kept her attention on them. Their story intrigued her.

"After the whole thing was over, I was ticked," Gina replied. "It didn't help when I found out some private investigator team was responsible for solving in a week what I'd been working on, alone, for so long." She glanced at Sam. "The only name I had was Chuck Finley, so I did some digging of my own and found out who he really was."

"She found me at Carlito's, we got to talking, and we went out a couple of times. But I swear, I had no idea she was FBI." Sam nodded at Fi. "Then you wound up with Kira, so I got busy and we didn't really have much time together."

"I was still raw from losing that big case, so I kept an eye on his activities, because I wasn't sure what he was up to or who he was working with." A slow smile crossed her face. "When you spend a lot of time spying on someone... things happen. I wasn't expecting to fall in love with him, but I got over myself and that case, and... and I'm glad I did." She leaned closer and kissed his lips, and he pulled her head to rest on his shoulder.

"She's good, Mike. All that time I thought she was unhappy about the stuff we got into because she was a civilian and didn't understand. In reality, she knew better than anybody what I was doing."

"And I'd been hoping that he would retire from it all. Especially after the bachelor cruise." Sam's hand draped over her shoulder and she covered it with hers. "But he made it quite clear that he had no intention of quitting. And that's when I came clean about what I did."

"I see. This could get...interesting," Michael said, understating the fact. With Sam seeing an FBI agent, and his working with the CIA, plus jobs on the side, they could easily have a jurisdictional nightmare on their hands one day. Michael didn't like it, but he couldn't see a way out without causing a rift in his relationship with Sam, or bringing on a heartache if his friend had to break up with Gina. It was obvious from the affection that passed between them that they were in love, and somehow they appeared to be working things out. Yet the real test would come when they had an actual case.

Gina looked at Michael. She knew exactly what he was thinking. "If you're worried about a conflict of interest, forget about it, Michael. I've already assured Sam that unless you guys are working on something that the FBI has already had a hand in, I won't get involved. However, if it turns into something that the FBI should know about, things may change."

"That could be a problem."

"I know." When Gina locked onto his eyes, Michael saw the genuine concern in hers. "That's why I wanted to get this out in the open right now. From what Sam has told me about you two, I feel like I already know you. Like we're already friends. I don't want my other life to infringe on that, and certainly not on my relationship with Sam. But the bottom line is that what I do, I do for my country. If what you do goes against that..." She lifted a hand and let it drop onto her crossed leg. "You understand, don't you?"

"I have no problem with that." Michael took a sip of his drink. "I think we'll just have to take it one step at a time."

"Good to hear, Mike. Because while you were gone, Gina helped me out with a little case." He grinned at her.

"Oh, it was nothing, just a one day and done little thing." She leaned in and planted a short kiss on his lips. "But we were a great team, if I must say so." She turned to Michael. "If you ever need an extra hand, you know I'll be happy to help."

"We'll let you know, Gina." _Maybe having an FBI agent on the team wouldn't be such a bad thing after all!_

* * *

That evening, after Michael and Fiona were tucked away in bed, they discussed Sam's new love and the possible impact she might have on their jobs. Fiona burrowed herself into the crook of Michael's arm and snuggled closer.

"I like her. I think she could be a real asset."

"I'm not so sure."

"Why?"

In the dark, she felt his smile. "She reminds me of me a little."

"Oh, like that's a bad thing?" Fiona laughed and settled in deeper.

"I think she could be a strong ally, but what if she all of a sudden decides that her agency has jurisdiction in something we're working on as a side job?"

Fiona sighed. "No need to be borrowin' trouble. That's what my Ma always used to say. If it happens, maybe it's a sign that you need to slow down. I mean, if we really want to start a family, you can't go running off at all hours working on cases."

She was right. He spent some time talking with other agents, both men and women who had families, to see how they handled things. It came down to deciding whether he wanted to be a hands-on or hands-off father. No one seemed to have a happy medium. The agents in the field were in the field more than at home, and the ones at home spent their days chained to a desk. That wasn't his style of spy work.

He sighed heavily. "There's just too much to work through yet. And we have to figure out what we're going to do with Amani." In the dim light coming from the street lights and the club's neon adornments, he could see the surprise on her face.

She rose and leaned on her elbow. "Are you saying you want to keep him?"

"I'm thinking about it."

"I'd like to keep him, too." She kissed him deeply and ran her hands over him. "But let's worry about that tomorrow."

"Yes." His lips met hers and they continued where their abbreviated honeymoon left off.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Michael and Fiona met Sam at Carlito's. He arrived alone, which surprised Michael a little. Over the past few weeks, Sam had been spending a lot of time with Gina, and she'd helped them on a couple of cases. He was getting used to her being an extension of Sam. "Where's Gina," Michael asked before even saying hello.

"Gee, that's a new one, my girlfriend rates higher than me." The corner of Sam's mouth tipped up. "Hey, Fi."

"Hi, Sam." She greeted him with a smile and asked, "Where is Gina? I was beginning to think you two were joined at the hip!"

"I wish I knew." He sighed and lowered himself into a chair opposite his friends. "She left four days ago on a mission for the Feds. She couldn't tell me where, or when she'd be back." He shook his head, disbelief on his face. "You know, it's always been the other way around, leaving the lady behind while I do my work. Now it's my turn, and I don't like it."

"The hazards of being in love with a spy," Fiona said as she sipped on her drink and gave Michael a meaningful glance.

Sam realized that Fiona usually ordered a Bloody Mary, but today she had iced tea. As he studied her, he noticed that she seemed to be in an extraordinarily good mood. "Fi, there's something different about you. What is it?"

Her eyes slid downward toward the stroller and back up to his.

He smiled. "Fi, are you..." He made a motion outlining a baby bump.

Fiona's smile widened. "Yes."

"Congratulations!" Then his look sobered. "Hey, are you going to be able to handle two?"

"I feel pretty confident that I can. Of course, it'll change things... like how much I can assist with jobs." A slight frown marred her face, but she quickly replaced it with a thin smile. "I don't think Michael's quite gotten used to it yet, but maybe if you two go shopping at the Baby Mart again, it might jog something in him."

Sam held up a hand, shook his head, and laughed. "No way, Fi. Once... twice... was enough for me!"

"Twice?" Michael asked.

"Gina dragged me there to get all that stuff for Amani when he first arrived. You think I'd be caught dead in that place by myself?"

"I guess we can't count on you to help with babysitting, then," Michael said dryly.

"Okay, now that I wouldn't mind, but if it's for Amani and your kid, I think Gina and I would have to do a tag team on that one. I've got a feeling that little Mikey or Fiona will be a little hellion." He smirked. "So, anyway, what's the job? I figured you guys had something, that's why you called."

"Not really," Michael answered. "It was more of an informational meeting. You know, to tell you about Fi's pregnancy, and that we're in the process of adopting Amani... and I've decided that once Amani is ours and the baby is born, things are going to change, and not just for Fi."

"What do you mean?"

Michael wore a serious expression as he answered, "I can't keep doing the CIA missions, not if I want to be a father to my kids. And you know I won't be able to sit still for desk duty." He paused. "Pearce offered me a job as a trainer. I haven't made up my mind yet if I'll take it."

"So you're planning on working civilian cases from now on if you quit the agency?"

"Well, I'll still maintain my relationship with the CIA to tie up a few loose ends before the baby is born. After that, I have to decide if I want the job or not. If not, yes, we'll continue to work together. We might just have to rely on Gina more to do what Fi does now."

"Except I don't think Gina is quite the explosives expert that Fi is."

"Nobody is," Fi broke in.

"That's true! Wow." Sam let out a deep breath and took a drag on his beer. "That's gotta be tough. You worked so hard to get back in, and now you want back out?"

"I know, but things change." He turned his head to look at Fiona, put an arm around her and said, "Life changes things." He returned his attention to Sam. "It'll be fine."

"Good for you, Mike. About time you got some sense." Sam heard heels clicking on the pavement, saw Fiona look up at whoever was approaching, and he turned. Immediately, he broke out a smile and stood to meet her. "Gina, baby! You're home!" Their lips met, and he enveloped her in his arms.

She kissed him as her arms slipped around his back. "I missed you, hon."

"I missed you too."

"I could tell." The warmth of her smile threatened to burn him up it was so hot.

But Sam restrained himself. The couple broke apart and he pulled out a chair for her. She sat, and he returned to his seat, raised his hand, and ordered for her. "One mojito."

She smiled at him and laid her hand on his hand on the table. "It's good to see everyone again." Her smile faded a little as she added, "I can't tell you what happened, of course, but I can say that our mission didn't go off as we planned. I had to spend the entire morning in debrief trying to explain why a situation was out of my control." Gina paused and swept back a lock of hair. "I was so glad to get out of there."

"Do you have some time off now," Sam asked.

"Until my next assignment is ready, yes." She glanced sideways at him. "Why? What did you have in mind?"

"That case we worked on while Mike and Fi were on their honeymoon..." He met her eyes, and hers widened as she leaned forward. "It looks like it wasn't as finished as we thought. Nancy Bradley called me this morning and said that Jeremy was at it again. She called me from the hospital."

"Oh, dear God, what happened?"

By now, Michael and Fiona were completely tuned in to what Sam had to say. They both saw the naked concern in Gina' eyes for the client and how she focused intently on Sam. This job, whatever it was, clearly affected her.

He squeezed her hand. "She's okay, Gi. It was just a car accident. Some guy went over the line and hit her head on, but she was wearing her seatbelt and she just got a few scrapes from the airbag." He sighed heavily. "But she thinks that Jeremy had something to do with the accident." As he spoke the word, he made quotation marks in the air.

"Sam, you'll have to excuse us," Fiona said. "We're kind of in the dark here about what is going on."

"Okay," Sam answered as he rested his elbows on the table. "Quick recap. We were hired by Nancy Bradley to discover who was harassing her. She and her husband are going through a nasty divorce, and someone was calling her at all hours, leaving things on her door step, basically making threats. Naturally, it wasn't the ex doing it, but we found the person he hired to do his dirty work."

"That's why it was a pretty slam dunk case," Gina added. "The guy thought he was clever with masking the source of the harassment, but we managed to figure it out pretty quick." She turned to Sam. "So he's trying again?"

"This time it sounds more serious, like maybe Jeremy is thinking he'll just get her out of the way and be done with it."

Michael said matter-of-factly, "Unfortunately, this kind of thing happens sometimes, especially if there's a lot of money involved."

Nodding in agreement, Sam continued. "The accident happened out on Alligator Alley while she and her sister were coming back to Miami from visiting friends on the gulf. If their vehicle had gone off the road..." He couldn't finish verbalizing the thought. "This time we've got to catch him with the hand in the cookie jar, so to speak. Nabbing the errand boy isn't enough."

"You need someone he doesn't know," Micheal said, already anticipating the next words out of his friend's mouth.

"Yeah, and I think I know who he's going to hire next to escalate the mayhem." Sam looked straight at Michael. "Or we fight fire with fire. Either way, I know we can count on you two to help. Am I right?"

Fiona narrowed her eyes. "A scumbag terrorizing his wife? You bet I'm in. Michael?"

Michael nodded. "Sam, can you arrange a meeting with Mrs. Bradley?"

"Sure can, Mikey." He stood, put on his sunglasses, and took Gina's hand as she joined him. "I'll let you know when we get a time and place." He looked down at Fiona and said, "Again, congrats, Fi."

"Wait just a second, Sam! You're not going to just leave me hanging like that." She pulled her hand out of his grip, turned back to the table and asked, "Fiona! What's up?"

She smiled at Gina. "As far as I can tell I'm due in about eight months."

Gina gasped and a look of joy crossed her face. "Congratulations! I know after our talk a few weeks ago, you were hoping for this. I'm glad you didn't have to wait long."

"Thank you, Gina." Fiona wore a grin as she watched the couple walk down the street toward the parking lot where Sam left his car. "They are so cute together," she said finally.

"Hm, I wonder what Sam would think of that estimation."

"I don't care. I guess seeing Sam truly in love with a woman makes the difference. And I can tell she adores him." She sipped on her iced tea, which had watered down while they talked. She made a face as she stared into the mouth of her glass. "I just think she's trying too hard."

"What do you mean?" Michael raised his hand to get the server's attention. "Another round here."

"What I mean is, it's like she wants us to like her but she's afraid we won't, so she's... I don't know how to explain it. You men just don't see things like that."

"Maybe once we get working on this case together, she'll loosen up and just be herself."

"I hope so. Otherwise, Gina and I might have to have a little chat."

* * *

Because of the danger involved, Sam and Gina went to Nancy Bradley's house to pick her up. Sam parked the car in back, where the wide drive curved around the house, partially blocking it from the street, with the back of the car obscured. He and Gina went to the back door, knocked three times, and Nancy appeared with a large suitcase.

"Are you ready to go," Sam asked.

She nodded and handed him the case. Then she slipped past Gina and into the back seat of the car. "Do you really think this is going to work?"

"It'll at least get you to the meet with our friends. After that, we'll have to see what kind of plan we come up with. I think it's pretty safe to say, though, that you won't be back here for a little while," Sam replied. "Hey, Gi, where's that blanket?"

"It's right here," Gina replied as she handed it to Sam. "I put the suitcase into the trunk, and the house is locked up." She stood with her hand on her hip studying the house. "Sam, what if he comes around and sees that Nancy's not here? Do you think he'll figure out that we've got her in the back seat?"

"Hopefully we'll be long gone before he figures it out. When I pulled in I saw that him sitting in his car right across the street. He doesn't even pretend anymore."

"I stayed away from the windows, just like you said." Nancy's voice shook slightly with fear.

"You did good. Now, cover up and we'll be out of here."

Nancy did as Sam told her, and he got into the driver's seat. Gina closed the back car door, got into the passenger side, and Sam followed the drive back to the street. Jeremy sat in his car, but he leaned down when Sam's eyes roved over to the vehicle. He turned right, and in the rearview mirror, Sam saw the man sit up straight again.

"So far so good, he's not following us." Gina looked in the vanity mirror on the sun visor as she touched up her lipstick.

"Keep an eye on him and look for anyone else who might be following. Nancy, stay down until we get to Mike and Fi's place." He tapped his earpiece. "Call Mike."

"Yeah, Sam."

"We have Nancy, and we're on the way. Our ETA is ten minutes."

"Great. We'll be ready."

When they arrived, Sam noted that Michael parked the Charger on the street and left the courtyard open so he could park inside. Both Michael and Fiona stood beside the gates and closed them as the car cleared, then locked them from the inside. He turned off the engine and spoke over his shoulder. "You can get up now, Nancy. You're safe here."

Carefully, slowly, she pulled the thin blanket off of herself and sat up. Her hair was messed up a little from the covering, and she tried straightening it with her hand. As she did so, she got a good look at her place of refuge. To the left stood a two story warehouse with rusted metal walls and an equally rusty staircase. The courtyard held a workbench, tools, a shed, and other items. She wrinkled her nose.

"This is the safe house?"

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, it doesn't look like much, but I guarantee this is the last place Jeremy would expect to find you. I just have to warn you, it gets a little loud sometimes at night with the club downstairs."

"I suppose I don't have much choice right now, do I?" Sam opened the back door and let her out, while Gina came around to meet them. "Mike, Fi, this is Nancy Bradley. Nancy, this is Michael and Fiona Westen. They're my friends, and we're all going to help you with this... problem... once and for all."

Nancy shook their hands. "Nice to meet you. Sam says that you have a background with some government agency."

"Yeah, I've done some covert stuff," Michael answered coyly. "We've all had a bit of experience in this sort of thing. Let's get you upstairs and settled in, and then we can talk about what's been going on."

"Okay. Thanks."

Michael and Fiona led the way, and as they climbed the stairs, Fiona glanced back now and then at the street when she was able to see it over the fence. "It's clear, Michael."

"Good. I hate when our safe house gets found."

"We set up a nice little place for you while you're here." Fiona showed Nancy to a makeshift bedroom created by several sets of room dividers. Inside, the bed that Michael used when he was single lay in the middle of the room. After Fiona had moved her things back into the loft, they used her bed, which sat off to the side in the open concept living area. Nancy looked around at the meager furnishings in the room set up for her.

"Fiona, is there a place to put my things?"

"You might want to just live out of the suitcase, on the off chance that we have to move you in a hurry. It'll prevent a delay in getting you out."

Nancy agreed with a nod. "That makes sense."

Fiona smiled at her. "You look a little tired."

"Overwhelmed is more like it. I never knew when Jeremy would harass me. I haven't been able to work, or sleep."

"Come out here for a little while." Fiona's smile widened. "After you tell us what's been going on, you can take a little nap, and we'll come up with a plan."

"Is it really that easy?"

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine." Fiona gave her a reassuring smile and led her into the open area that served as their meeting area and living quarters. "While you're here, make yourself at home. There's plenty to eat and drink in the fridge, or I can make some coffee."

"Thanks, but I'll take something from the fridge." She took in the entire place as she moved across the room to sit at the bar next to Gina.

Michael and Sam stood on the kitchen side of the bar, and Fiona gently pushed Michael out of the way with her hip as she reached for the refrigerator door. "What would you like, Nancy?"

"Whatever you've got." Her attention was riveted on Michael, Sam, and Gina as they pored over some of the notes that were left when Gina and Sam helped her. "I have some more," she said, and she laid a short stack on the surface. "I think it's pretty clear from those why I had to call you again."

Sam met her gaze. "It's okay. We hoped that getting Jeremy's fall guy busted would make him cool it, but apparently he's not that smart."

"This guy's got a lot of rage," Gina remarked as she dropped one sheet on the bar. "Can you tell us what happened? Has he always been possessive, or does he have a lot of stress at work?"

"I don't know. He never used to be like this, and then a couple of years ago he thought I was having an affair. I did everything I could to convince him otherwise, but it was like the cork came out and he just got more wary and more angry. I couldn't take it anymore, so I filed for divorce."

"I think we should look into his business, see what's going on inside. Maybe we can use that to figure out a way to use it against him." Michael said. "Then either he snaps and does something that'll put him away for awhile, or he gets the idea and backs off permanently."

"As much as I hate what he's doing to me, I don't want him dead," Nancy said with eyes full of fear.

"No need to be killing anybody," Sam said. "We're just going to make trying to kill you a lot less appealing." He shuffled through the pages. "Mike, you think we can have Jesse do some intel gathering on his company? The guy's seen me and Gina, so neither of us could do any snooping, although I can try to get something online."

"Yes, you do that, Sam. I'll contact Jesse and see what he can find out. After that, we'll decide how we want to approach this."

"I hope we can do a turnabout strategy," Gina said with a hint of a smile. "Those are always fun, and usually nobody gets hurt."

"Usually?" Nancy swallowed.

Gina looked at her. "At least, nobody who matters. Whatever we do, we'll keep you safe, Nancy. That's a guarantee."

Once they were able to ease her mind, Nancy went to her makeshift room to take a nap. Fiona and Gina worked on making some lunch, and Michael and Sam retreated to the balcony. Michael read the notes and the diary that Nancy was smart enough to create that outlined every phone call, late night visit, and note. Sam booted up his computer and started searching for something to use against Jeremy Bradley.

While he waited for it to come up, Sam spoke. "Mike, you said Pearce offered you a training position. What would happen if you took it?"

"I'd train new agents. Nothing really special about it." He stopped reading and looked up. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, if you did decide to take it, you'd have to move wouldn't you? I don't think they have any spy training facilities here in Miami." Sam's eyes bored into Michael's. He knew the truth, and as much as he loved Michael like a brother, if circumstances took him elsewhere, their friendship would still endure. It would just mean that they could no longer work together.

"We'd probably have to move to Virginia," Michael admitted softly.

Sam could see that Michael didn't like that idea any more than he did. "Something to consider then." A half-hearted smile crossed his face. "At least you can finally get away from your mom, huh?" He let out a weak chuckle.

Michael gave him a thin smile. "Funny, I'm not so keen on that. My being here has changed her."

"I know. She's stronger, and she's been one heck of an asset. These days, she doesn't complain about every little symptom she has." Sam paused. "She just needed to know that someone cared about her."

"You're right, Sam." He looked away and focused on something far across the river. "I'm... I'm a little afraid that if Fi and I have to move, especially with grandkids in tow, it'll set her back. And as much as I hate her hovering and nagging sometimes, I love her too much to see that happen."

Sam shrugged. "Well then, it's easy. Turn down the job. If you've got so much more at stake if you left, it's not worth it. Besides, there are a lot of people in this town who need us."

Michael nodded and grinned. "I'll think about it, Sam."

"You do that, brother, because it used to be just about you, but not anymore."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

What Sam said rang through Michael's brain, resonating a deep-seated truth. When he joined the Army at 17, his mother signed the papers for him, forging his father's signature. He never understood why. All that mattered was escaping the verbal and physical abuse. He ran away without any thought to what the fallout would be for his brother Nate and their mom, Maddie. With his departure, it was as if a safety valve had been released, and they suffered the consequences of his act of self-preservation. Michael's guilt kept him away for his own sanity, but it only worsened the hurt and negative effects on those left behind. Frank Westen's death couldn't ease the pain. By that time, Maddie had been beaten down into an empty, angry shell, and only the hope of seeing her beloved son again kept her going. That and the never-ending doctor visits to find a disease that would be dire enough to entice him to come home to stay.

The one who burned Michael did more for Maddie than he would ever know. If he hadn't been so full of hate and a desire to wipe Anson off the face of the earth, he might have thanked him. But then, to be forced to look on his arrogant expression as he delivered his message was unthinkable. Michael preferred to think about how far Madeline had come in the past six years. How far they'd all progressed.

"You okay, Mike?" Sam asked as he glanced at Michael sitting on the stairs.

"I'm fine, Sam." He was prepared to just let it go, but then he asked, "Have you ever thought about where you'd be if we hadn't met up again?"

Sam gave him a quirky grin. "Not really, but no doubt I'd be clinging to another sugar mommy, taking the concept of a meaningless relationship to a new low."

"And what will you do if Fi and I move, and I take this job?"

"If I didn't have this severe allergy to authority, I'd get down on my knees and beg for a job with the CIA, but no, sorry, that ain't happening." He laughed. "Besides, I like Miami. I'd stay here and try to convince Gina to quit the Feds, and we could work together. A trio, even a foursome, is better with this work, but we'd manage. Somehow."

Michael nodded. Sam had definitely changed since they met for the first time at Carlito's after he was dumped in Miami. Back then, he was shocked at how his long-time friend had degenerated into a non-stop beer-swilling, no-clearance intelligence has-been. He was a man hiding behind the desire to have fun, but Michael could see the pain in his eyes. He'd been demoralized by the way he was drummed out of the service. After working together for the past six years, he was once again confident in his abilities, stronger in who he was, and he was building credibility with the agency to become a valuable asset. If he weren't so proud of his friend, he'd be offended that Sam could indeed do just fine without him.

"I'd much rather work with you, Mike, than try to find someone else to round out our team."

Michael's smile perked up. "Thanks, Sam. I appreciate that."

"No problem, Mikey. You just looked like you needed to hear something good."

"Well, I'm certainly not finding it in this stuff." He straightened the papers and shoved them back into the accordion folder that Nancy had given him. "Have you found anything we can use?"

"I downloaded some information about Jeremy's company, but nothing that would have any bearing on this case. Well, maybe the fact that the company is worth about fifty million dollars, and his take-home salary is over a million, not including what he makes on investments. It gives him a good reason to get rid of Nancy if he doesn't want to share any of that."

"Hey guys, we've got lunch ready," Gina said, poking her head through the open double doors. "Fi's getting Nancy."

"Oh my god! Michael!"

They heard Fiona's cry for help, and Michael shot off the steps, dropped the file folder onto the bed, and rushed to Nancy's room. Sam followed. "What happened," he asked as he stopped in the doorway.

Nancy was white, a blue tinge around her lips. "She's not breathing!" Fiona replied sharply.

Michael picked her off the bed and laid her on the floor, and he and Fiona started CPR. Gina glanced over Sam's shoulder. "I'll call 911..."

"No, we can't do that! Calling an ambulance here will bring attention to this place," Sam explained.

"But she's dying!" Gina exclaimed, her hand balled up around her phone.

"Michael, I've got a pulse, but it's weak," Fiona said as she felt around Nancy's carotid artery.

"I'll get the car ready." Sam pushed past Gina and hurried out the door.

By the time Sam unlocked the gate, opened it and checked to make sure that Jeremy or any other suspicious looking characters weren't around, Michael, Fiona, and Gina came downstairs. Michael carried Nancy in his arms. Sam unlocked the car and opened it so Michael could put her in the back.

"I'll come along," Gina said and rounded the front of the vehicle, her brow furrowed with worry.

"You should stay here with Fi." Michael looked at her with apology written on his face. "Just make sure that everything's locked up behind us and keep watch for anyone with an eye on the place."

She nodded, although he could see it was against her better judgement to stay. He understood feeling protective of a client. She asked, "Do you think that Jeremy somehow knows where she is and did something to her after she arrived?"

"No. There's no way he could have slipped in unnoticed. We've got to go."

"Okay." Gina nodded. "Be careful, you two!"

"We will. Thank you for staying." Michael patted her arm and trotted around to the passenger side of the car. Sam already had the engine running and pulled out as soon as Michael's door closed.

Gina watched them leave and followed them to the gate. With a wave and a look of deep concern for both of them, she reached for one gate, closed it, and followed with the other. After one last peek to see if there were any cars on the street, she secured it and returned upstairs.

"What do you think it could be? He must have poisoned her somehow." Fiona heard Amani stirring and went to attend to him.

Gina spoke from the door way of Nancy's room. "I don't know, Fiona, but I'm going to do a search of her stuff and see if there are any clues among her possessions." She entered the room and spent a good amount of time inside, and when she emerged she found Fiona feeding Amani something out of a jar while he squirmed in the high chair. Gina smiled at his exuberance. He couldn't seem to get enough of whatever the orange food was. "Carrots? Squash? Or sweet potatoes?"

Fiona smiled. "First guess was right. He loves them. That and the peas, only God knows why. I can barely feed him those without..." She made a face.

Gina laughed. "I totally understand." With a soft sigh she perched on a stool. "There are some things you just never forget about your kid, and that's one of them."

"Did you find anything in Nancy's room?"

"Yeah, she had some sleeping pills in there." Gina held up the amber bottle and shook it. "It's a prescription, and the label looks legit. But I suspect that the guys are going to find that these aren't what they were supposed to be." She paused and tapped the bottle on the bar. "Maybe I should take these over to the hospital and have an analysis done. Oh, wait. I don't have a way to get there."

"You could take my car. I'll be fine here with Amani." Fiona smiled and wiped his face with the bib. "Can you watch him? I'll get my keys."

"Sure." Gina slipped off the stool and got down to his level. She gave him a warm smile, remembering her own son at that age. "Hey there, cutie. You're getting to be such a big boy!" Amani responded with a smile and reached out to touch her with his grimy hand. She took it in her fingers. "Woah there, kiddo! Your mommy needs to clean up that mess before you go touching things."

Fiona heard her reference to 'mommy', and it warmed her heart. "Sorry, I didn't get that far yet." Fiona stood to the side with her keys dangling from her fingers. "Here you go. Want me to call Michael to let him know you're coming?"

"No, that's okay. I can give Sam a call on the way." She stood and observed Fiona wiping the little boy's hands. She'd heard from Sam how capable Fiona was in handling herself, but she still worried about leaving her. Michael ordered her to stay. However, this pill bottle could possibly hold the key to saving Nancy's life. "Are you sure you'll be okay here alone?"

"Positive. Just go!"

Gina let out a deep breath. "Okay, I just wanted to be sure, because I know Sam will probably get on my case if I show up and leave you here."

"If he does, he's an idiot. He knows better!"

"Call if you need any assistance."

"Don't worry, Gina. We'll be fine!" After Gina left and Fiona heard her car start up, she smiled. Fiona was impressed with how the woman was so concerned about her, but Gina still hadn't learned everyone's strengths and what they were capable of when it came to defense. In time, she would know and not have to worry. Even with Amani around and another on the way, she would have no trouble taking care of herself.

* * *

Gina drove Fiona's car to the hospital where they'd taken Nancy. She liked the handling of the little sports car that also had enough room in back if it was necessary to scrunch a couple of people inside. _I might have to think about getting myself one of these and trade in that big old Cadillac. _All the while she enjoyed the ride, she still managed to keep an eye on her back to make sure no one tailed her. She was in the clear and made it to the hospital parking lot. As she got out, Gina carefully surveyed the lot as she approached the emergency room, and went inside.

"Gi, what are you doing here," Sam asked as soon as she stepped into the waiting room. "And how did you get here?"

"Fi lent me her car." Gina cringed to herself. She knew from the look on Sam's face that if she didn't come up with a good explanation, she would hear it from him later. "I went through Nancy's stuff and found this bottle of sleeping pills. I suspect they aren't what she thought they were. I mean, they look real, but... I don't know if she took any. If she did, this would be the first thing I'd look at for the cause of her almost dying."

"Thanks, Gina. I knew there was a good reason to leave you behind." Michael took the bottle from her and approached the reception desk. Gina watched him as he got the attention of the woman. She picked up her phone, talked into it, and then spoke to Michael. A few seconds later, a nurse emerged from behind the swinging doors and took the bottle from him.

"Is Fi still at the loft?"

Gina turned back to Sam. "Yes. And before you start breathing fire, baby, she was the one who practically kicked me in the pants to come here. She assured me she would be safe, and I was careful about how I left. The safe house is still safe. What happened had to have been a result of someone tampering with those drugs before she even left her home."

Sam nodded. "You're right. Let's go over to Nancy's house and see if we can find anything. I'll tell Mike where we're going." He held out his hand.

"What?"

"Keys."

"To Fi's car?" Gina's eyebrows rose. "I think not! She entrusted them to me, I'm driving." She paused and her mouth formed a perfect 'o'. "Sam, don't tell me you're one of those guys who has to drive all the time?"

"No, I've let Fi drive plenty of times, especially if it's her car." A harrowing spiral up a parking structure came to mind at that moment, and he recalled the terror he felt.

Gina saw him turn slightly pale. "I'm a good driver. Don't worry. You remember how I got Michael to the chapel, don't you?"

That ride itself was a little hair-raising, but he wasn't about to tell her. "I trust you, Gi. Really, I do, but..."

She shook her head and sighed. Then she turned and headed for the door. "I'll be waiting outside for you."

Sam narrowed his eyes at her and noticed Michael standing nearby watching.

"Something wrong, Sam?"

"Yeah. I finally discovered something that I don't like about Gina. She's stubborn. Extremely stubborn." He let out a sigh. "We're going over to Nancy's to search the house. Gina's driving."

Michael held back his laughter. "Just put your seatbelt on and shut up."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Don't remind me of that! Now I'm really scared!"

* * *

Despite Sam's fears, Gina drove at a prudent speed and obeyed all traffic laws to get to Nancy's house. As they rode down the tree-lined street, they kept their eyes roving for anything suspicious. "Sam, Jeremy's car is gone."

"I see that. Maybe he had to go back to work or something. Or he figured out that Nancy was gone, so he left." He paused, inspecting the outside of the house while Gina pulled into the drive and parked in back. "We better be careful going in. Who knows if he did something to the place."

"If he broke in, most likely it would be back here," Gina said. She and Sam emerged from the car in synch, slammed their doors softly on the off chance that someone was on the property, and they moved toward the back of the house. Wordlessly, they checked the back windows for any sign of a break in. "I'm not seeing anything, Sam."

"Me neither." He took the steps and checked the back door. "Still locked, and I don't see any sign..."

Gina swore under her breath. "Why do people hide keys in the most obvious places?" She pulled a nail file from her purse and wedged it in behind the meter box and the house. It took a little effort, but she managed to pull out a key. "Back door, what do you wanna bet?" She held it up.

Sam was about to pick the lock to get in, but he stuck the key in the lock and it opened the door effortlessly. "That key was stuck in there pretty good. Do you think she kept it there all the time?"

"I don't know." Gina reached into her bag again and pulled out a small zipped bag. "Put it in here, Sam. Maybe we can get some of our perp's prints off it."

He'd been so concerned about getting into the house, Sam never considered that he'd possibly destroyed evidence. Gina was good. If he stuck around her long enough, she would definitely help him sharpen his skills. He could handle that. Together they entered the house. The door led through a short hall and into the kitchen.

"Somebody's been here," she said as she scanned the disarray. "The question is, were they looking for something specific or just trying to trash the place?"

Sam stood in one place and carefully surveyed the mess. When Nancy hired them it was in this kitchen, so he was familiar with how it looked before. "It looks like it's just random. I mean, look, those cupboards were left alone, while others, everything's been dumped out and smashed on the floor."

The house was built in the 1920s in the Mediterranean style so popular at that time. The kitchen was a blazing white from the walls to the cabinets and appliances, and the cupboards showed off their contents through square panes.

"If someone had been looking for something, it would have been a lot easier to just look through the cupboard doors."

"Exactly. I think we're looking at Jeremy's handiwork."

"I could go back to the office and get a print kit, but I don't know how we'd be able to prove much," Gina said as she stood in the middle of the debris and curled a hand on her hip. "If he lived here for any length of time, Jeremy's prints will be all over this place."

"Not the dishes. If he touched them to pull them out of the cupboard, we'll find prints. If he wasn't wearing gloves."

"Of course. I don't think Jeremy was that smart. He's a man obsessed with ridding himself of this... inconvenient wife."

Sam's phone rang, and he pulled it from his pocket to answer. "Yeah, Mike." He listened a few seconds and answered. "We're at Nancy's, and the kitchen is a mess. We'll check out the rest of the house and see if there's anything left behind. How's Nancy doing? Uh huh, well that's good news. Thanks!"

"What'd Michael say?" Gina turned at the entrance to the dining room and waited for him to reply.

"He said that Nancy is going to be okay. He was calling to see what, if anything, we found here. Mike called our friend in the Miami PD, and she's going to have a team of officers watching over Nancy. Then we can concentrate on trying to nail who did this." He paused. "Oh, and they're working on analyzing those pills you brought in. Good work, finding those."

"Yeah, well, just doing my job." Gina spoke with a tone of dismissal. Under his gaze she blushed a little, turned away, and went into the dining room. "Oh, Sam, look!"

He hurried to her side and took in the destruction in the room. Fine china had been thrown against the wall and left crumbled on the floor. Glass doors were smashed. The chandelier hanging over the table hung far too low and at a crazy angle.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think some kids came in here and trashed the place." She continued in to the hall and past a staircase to the living room. "But I think Jeremy wanted to do this all himself."

"What makes you think so?" Sam glanced up at the staircase, making sure they were clear.

"That." Gina pointed to the cream colored walls in the living room. Artwork had been slashed, and someone spray painted words over the canvases and walls. 'This is all mine' mingled with vulgar wishes for Nancy to die. A chill ran up her spine that someone could hold so much hate inside to be motivated to do something like this. "This is really sick. If Jeremy's looking for a psycho defense, this will certainly do it."

"Let's just look around. Maybe he left a used can with some prints on it."

They finished checking the lower level and found more destruction. Upstairs, no room had been left untouched. One room looked out on the back yard and the neighborhood, and it appeared to have been a nice art studio until it was turned upside down. A work in progress sat on an easel, and the intruder used the paints to write a nasty message on it. Sam got his phone out and took a picture of it.

"Sam, these paints are still wet." Gina leaned over a table on which a pallet lay. She poked a glob of dark blue paint. "These are acrylics, and they usually take about an hour to dry completely if they're thin, like on the canvas. But these blobs could take a couple hours, three or four at the most, depending upon how thick they are."

"And what's your estimation on that one?"

"Two hours. It's still viscous in the center." She pressed harder and a small amount squirted out the side of the mound.

"That would make sense if Jeremy figured out shortly after we left that Nancy wasn't here, and you know he had to take some time to do what he did downstairs." He looked down at a paint brush on the wood floor. He squatted and pulled on the end. "Someone left paint fingerprints on this brush." The drying paint caused it to stick to the floor, but he was able to detach it and pick up the brush. Gina waited with an open clear plastic bag. After dropping it inside, he gave her a look. "I guess now I know why you carry around such a big purse. You've got your whole evidence collecting stash in there, don't you?"

"Well, not everything. The printing kit just doesn't fit." She grinned. "I've been thinking of getting a bigger bag, but that might slow me down."

Sam laughed. "You still amaze me, Gi."

"Good. I just hope that after all this, Michael and Fiona can trust me."

"Why do you think they don't?" He studied her.

Gina shrugged. "As nice as they are, I have this feeling that they're constantly analyzing me, trying to figure out if I'm on the up and up."

He smiled at her and pulled her against his side. "I think Mike and Fi are just surprised by you, that's all. They're used to me getting involved with women who are rich and beautiful, but shallow. This time, I found someone who's rich, beautiful, and actually has more to offer than that." He kissed the top of her head, pulled back, and looked into her eyes. "You'll have to forgive them. They're not used to this! And to tell you the truth, neither am I." He gave her a slow smile. "But I gotta say, I like it." He kissed her lips briefly. "We better get back to work."

Gina nodded, outwardly all business as she disengaged herself from Sam. But inside, she felt a flutter of something good. He understood that they had something special, and he appreciated it. So did she. Finding Sam was completely unexpected, and at first she saw through his womanizing ways and didn't want to have anything to do with him. But when she let herself get past the surface, she realized that he was an honorable man. His efforts to help the little guy drew her in, because in her work, she so often lost sight of why she did what she did. Sam helped make it all real again. She smiled and returned her attention to looking for clues, while a desire to break away and work with Sam and his friends rose up within her.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Where to next?" Gina asked as she stood near the car and he locked up the house.

He trotted down the stairs and unconsciously moved to go around the front of the car, but she she held out an arm to halt his progress, smiled and danged the keys in the air. He shook his head and detoured to the passenger seat. He didn't mind Fiona driving now and then, but letting a lady friend take the wheel was something new to him.

"We should go to wherever we can get this evidence dusted and matched for prints."

"That would be my office, then," she said with a grin and got into the car. She glanced at him and noted a less than happy expression on his face. "What's the matter?"

"We're going to the FBI offices, right?"

"Yeah, so? Hey, this'll give you a chance to see what my work environment is like." She pulled out onto the busy street heading downtown. "You can meet some of my co-workers."

"Oh, I already know a couple of your colleagues," Sam muttered.

She laughed. "Oh yeah, Harris and Lane. When they found out that you and I were seeing each other, well, they didn't have very many nice things to say about you." She sobered. "Come to think of it, they didn't have anything nice to say about you!"

"Great." He slunk down into his seat and kept his attention on the road.

She laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, honey, I took everything they said with a grain of salt. At least, after I had a chance to really get to know you." At the light, she turned to look at him. "Don't worry about them. They're just a couple of stuck-in-the-mud lifers who've become so cynical about themselves and their lives... You've got a lot more going for you than they do, sweetheart." She patted his shoulder, the light turned green, and she stepped on the accelerator. "So, if you see them, just remember that."

"Thanks, Gi."

"You're welcome, Sammy." She smiled at him and pulled into a parking space. "Okay, let's go do some hi-tech sleuthing!"

At the entrance, Gina flashed her badge and announced, "He's with me. Sam Axe."

The receptionist looked up at him with an appreciative smile. "So, this is the guy, huh, Gina?" She held out a pen and her fingers brushed his as he took it from her and she said, "Sign the register, please... Sam." Giving him a visitor's badge afforded her another opportunity to touch him. It seemed as if she enjoyed every elongated second, but it only irritated Gina, if the cool look on her face was any indication.

"If there's anything I can get you while you're here, Sam, just let me know."

If he wasn't getting serious about Gina, he might have been taken in by her charm. Instead, he just gave her a heart-melting smile and said, "Thanks, but I think I'm good."

"You certainly are," she mumbled as Sam and Gina walked away.

Gina's heels clicked sharply on the tile floor as they walked to the forensics lab. "Hey, Gi, honey, I thought you were going to show me around."

"After I drop this stuff off at the lab. The paintbrush will be easy, since the prints are visible. It's just a matter of matching them up to something. But if Jeremy doesn't have any prints on file in the crime database, we won't get a hit." She stopped in front of a door, curled her hand around the handle and said, "That's what worries me the most."

"Then we figure out a way to get his prints. If Mike poses as his next partner in crime, he'll be able to get a sample that we can compare. Easy peasy."

"You've worked with Michael a long time, so I suppose you have a better grasp on what he's capable of. I'm not so sure it'll be easy for him to get in with this guy. He's probably gun shy now after all the failures." She opened the door and led him inside, dropped off their evidence, and filled out some paperwork, because nothing was ever done without paperwork, even if this was a personal case.

"We'll sneak it in when we run a bunch of other evidence for prints."

"Thanks, Mario. You guys are great! Mario Juarez, Dillon Tyson, this is Sam Axe. We're working on a case together. The sooner you can get the results the better, because if these prints belong to the guy we're following, you could be helping us stop a murder."

"We'll see what we can do, Gina." Mario winked at her. "Next time you stop in, if a pork Cuban or two passes our desk, well..."

She laughed and gave him a sweet smile. "You've got a deal, Mario. Just give me a call when you get a hit, and we'll be back with lunch."

"Awesome."

Gina led Sam out of the lab and headed back the way they came. Now and then she passed someone who greeted her and she replied with a wave or a smile. More than a few took a second look at her guest, and Sam began to wonder what she told people. "Gi..."

She stopped at the elevator and pressed the up button, then turned to face him. Yes?"

"Do I have a reputation that I know nothing about?"

Gina's smile widened and her eyes sparkled. "When I put a photo of you and me on my desk, people started asking questions. We're the FBI, Sam! Everybody around here knows to ask questions when they see something new!"

The elevator doors opened, a woman got out and stopped dead right in front of Sam. "Gina! It's... it's him!"

"Yeah, it's him, Mel. I'll talk to you later." Without another word, Gina grabbed Sam's upper arm and pulled him into the elevator while the woman still gaped, making him uncomfortable.

"Okay, what's going on, Gina? Everybody, well, practically everybody, in this place looks at me like I'm some kind of celebrity. What gives?"

Before she could answer, the elevator stopped on the third floor. She led him out and turned right. "I'm sorry, does it bother you?"

"Well... kinda. It's too weird."

"I'm sorry, Sam." She looked up at him with a contrite look on her face. "Let's go into my office and talk about this, and we'll give the guys in the lab a little time to work on our evidence."

She ushered him into an office with a street view and closed the door behind her, then indicated he should sit on the couch opposite her desk. He sat, and she joined him. Her body angled toward his as she spoke. "I've been in this office for a long time, and I've worked with a lot of the same people for years. We're like family. They knew how hard it was for me when Trent died, and I tried to go back to business as usual." She paused. "But it caught up to me, and then I learned who my real friends were around here." Emotion filled up her eyes and she blinked them rapidly to avoid tearing up. "They got me through it, and few told me I'd find someone else again, but I was adamant that there would never be another man in my life. It was easier than dealing with the pain of loss."

"And then I came along, a big pain in the butt, ruining your case..." He grinned.

She mirrored the look. "Yeah. Sam, you were like a big cement block between the eyes. My supervisor on the case, when he found out what happened, he was certain I'd found 'the one'. I laughed at him." She paused. "After the day at the marina when you rescued Kira and your team brought that family back together, that was it, I was in love. We had that picture taken and I put it on my desk. Then everybody knew I'd moved on, so of course, they started inundating me with questions about you."

"You could have said it was none of their business."

"I could have, but around here, like I said, it's like family. We're kind of unusual that way for an agency office. The guys don't quite care for all the details, but the ladies," she said with a smile. "They wanted to know more about you. I kept it clean." She laughed.

"Okay, I guess I'll just have to get used to it. Mike and Fi have been kind of busy, or I think she would have been bugging me about you, too. I didn't tell Maddie, Mike's mom, because then I'd really get the third degree. I figured she'd find out soon enough."

Gina reached out, caressed the two-day's growth on his face and kissed him. "I hope you're not too creeped out by all this."

He shrugged. "A spook's a spook, whether they're CIA, FBI, or m-o-m, and they're all too curious for their own good sometimes. I'll get used to it, as long as they don't know everything about us." His eyebrow quirked up.

"Hey, I know where to draw the line!"

Sam's phone rang and he picked it out of his pocket. "Yeah, Mike, where are you? Oh, okay. We're at the FBI office. Yeah, we found a couple pieces of evidence with fingerprints all over them. I think we could probably have the Miami PD go over the place now and maybe they'll come up with something else. For now, we're just waiting to see what the lab boys find."

As Sam talked, Gina left the office and returned with a couple sodas for them. When she returned, she found him standing at the window looking out across the busy city. He heard the door, turned, and said, "Nice view."

"Yeah. I don't get to see it too often. This is just a place to type up my reports, and half the time I do that at home or on the road somewhere."

"But when you're here, it's like one big happy family. I get it."

Gina put her arm around his waist. "They helped keep me sane, Sam."

"Everybody needs some kind of support. I've got Mike and Fi." He pulled her against his side and rested his cheek on her head. He couldn't imagine what she'd gone through, so he had no right to criticize how her co-workers got tangled up into her personal life and helped her through a rocky period. Mike and Fi would have done the same thing, and indeed, had on occasion. She just had more close friends, that was all. He kissed the top of her head and pulled away, took the soda can, and walked around her office, examining every little detail as Gina sat at the desk.

"I need to check my e-mails, see if I've been assigned anything. I hope not, because I'd really like to help you all get this case finished up right this time." She tapped a few keys. "After this, we can do a tour, although it's not really any different from any other office. We just have a lab, a munitions storage area, and a few other things that make us a typical government agency." She looked up at him and smiled.

"In that case, I've probably seen enough."

While he waited, Sam fought the temptation to scan the file folders on her desk. They were her cases, FBI business, and he had no claim to them. He could tell from the speed of her typing that she was trying to finish as quickly as possible and spare him the boredom. He appreciated that. There were a lot of other things he adored about her. Initially, he'd been attracted by her outward appearance, even though she wasn't the most beautiful woman he'd been with. In the club where they met, she looked mysterious, and in the daylight, classy.

Gina had an inner strength that drew him in, and when he realized what a strong personality she had, he was already in too deep to be intimidated by it. In some ways, she reminded him of Fi. That was a scary thought, but when they worked together, he found her drive seductive. Now he understood why some of his lady friends were turned on by his dogged determination to solve a case.

"Sam?"

"Huh?" He shook himself out of his ruminating. "What?" Her eyes met his and by the soft look in hers he knew that she'd caught him thinking things that were better left alone.

"I'm done with my e-mails. I just got one from Mario, and he said it'll be a little while yet for the results. Maybe we should go get something to eat, grab them some sandwiches, and then hopefully they might have something for us."

"Sounds good." He followed her out of the office. It was after five, so a lot of the support staff had already gone for the day. A few agents hung out in their offices, Harris being one of them.

As they passed his door, he looked up, saw Sam, and with a sarcastic tone asked, "What's up, Gina? Recruiting your boyfriend?"

She stopped, stuck her head in the room and replied, "We're working on something on the side, Harris. Nothing you need to worry about." Gina didn't wait for his reply. She tugged on Sam's sleeve and muttered, "Remember what I said."

"Hey, Harris." Sam leaned in through the door. "I miss our free lunches and chats." He winked and disappeared, chuckling under his breath.

Gina laughed softly. "You're so bad!" Despite Harris and Lane's abilities to keep their work under wraps, their fruitless efforts to get information from Sam regarding Michael in the early days after the spy had been burned were legendary. So when her path crossed with Sam's, it took her awhile to completely trust him. It was too easy to wonder if everything he said was just a trick, a way to throw her off, especially since they'd met while they were both on the job trying to accomplish the same thing, only in different ways.

They shared a simple meal at a diner nearby, and Gina ordered a couple Cuban sandwiches to go for the lab guys. By the time she returned and delivered them, they had gone over the print analysis and were on to another project.

"Uh oh, doesn't look good," Sam muttered as they entered the lab and Mario and Dillon faced them. Dillon went back to work, while Mario approached them.

"Sorry, Gina, Sam. We didn't get any hits on these prints. Whoever left them has no record anywhere. I mean, we accessed the FBI database and the Miami metropolitan database. If you want a country-wide search, it's gonna take a lot longer."

"No, that's okay," Sam said. "We'll just have Mike cozy up to this guy and get the sample. Then we'll bring it back and see if it matches."

"That we can do." Mario nodded, his eyes drifting to the elongated packages Gina carried inside a paper bag.

"Hey, I promised. Here you go." She handed them to Mario. "We'll be back as soon as we can with that sample."

"No problem." Dillon stepped up and held the evidence bags. "You might wanna take these with you. We've got 'em photographed and documented with the print set, so we don't need these. You don't want these to get lost in the shuffle here."

"Thanks, Dillon. You boys have a good night!" She waved to them and she and Sam left the lab.

"We should probably check in at the hospital and see how Nancy's doing," Sam said as they checked out of the building. A stoic looking man in a suit had taken the female receptionist's place, much to Sam's relief. She was a little too friendly for his comfort. "When I talked to Mike he said he would be there for awhile, and then head back to the loft. So if he's not there, we'll see Nancy and then go to the loft. Maybe he and Fi have a plan worked out."

"You know, I think Fiona will really miss getting involved this deeply in your cases. I could see when you guys left with Nancy how unsettled she was. She'll get used to it, but she'll discover that having a little one to take care of throws everything out of whack for awhile. I can't even imagine how it'll be with two!"

"Been there, done that, huh?" He reached across the console and held the hand she rested on the gearshift.

"Yep. If I had to do it today, I don't know how I'd deal with it. I mean, over the past year, work has become my entire existence. It's like an addiction." She paused and glanced at his profile in the fading daylight.

"So what you're saying is, that I have an uphill battle here if I intend to become number one in your life?" He glanced at her as he spoke, one eyebrow cocked up, questioning.

"No." She smiled and returned her attention to the road. "If anything, I'm pretty sure you're the cure for my addiction."

A great sense of relief poured down on Sam. It was then that he realized just how much she meant to him, and that this working with her caused him to fall deeper than he had at first. Every day they were together he felt challenged, whether it was working on a case or going for a good early morning run. She kept him on his toes, which was another new thing for him. It felt good, and he never wanted it to stop.

Nancy was out of the intensive care unit where she'd been placed temporarily after arriving. Michael was still at the hospital, but he was preparing to leave when they found her room and the police officers let them enter.

"Sam, Gina. How'd things go with the evidence?"

"Not good, Mike. They pulled prints, but nothing matched. You'll have to get up close to Jeremy and get something off him."

Michael nodded. "The Miami PD is involved in this case now, whether we like it or not. They've been over to the house, collected a lot of evidence, and they're probably making the same efforts as we are."

"I would have had my guys run a DNA analysis, but that'll take awhile, and it's kind of hard to put that kind of manpower into something that isn't agency related." Gina met Michael's eyes with her apologetic stare. "I'm sorry, Michael."

"That's understandable. We'll just get a plan in motion and catch him without it." He started for the door and said, "Let's go back to the loft and strategize."

In the parking lot, Gina asked, "Michael, do you want to drive Fiona's car? We can take the Caddy."

"Sure." He took the keys from Gina.

"Ohhh, sure, he can drive it but I can't."

Gina gave him a look that shut him up. "Just get in and take us to the loft."

"Well, at least you let me drive this time." He teased and got in. She laughed, leaned over and kissed him.

Fiona was still up when they arrived, but Amani was sleeping in his crib. The club was in full swing downstairs, and the thump of the bass and murmur of voices outside were loud enough that Gina wondered how anyone could sleep in the place.

"I was wondering if you were coming back," Fiona said with a quirky smile. "There's some dinner leftover if anyone is hungry."

"Sorry, Fi, we ate," Sam replied.

"So did I," Michael responded.

They gathered around the bar and reported on everything that happened after they transported Nancy to the hospital. Michael said, "They're still working on what she really took, but I was told they'd have an answer by morning. I just have to make sure I call this number before the cops get the information. Otherwise, we'll never find out what it was."

"You're going to have a full plate, Michael, keeping up with Nancy's condition, the chemical analysis on those pills, and working your way into Jeremy's confidence. I can take care of the first two things, and you, Sam, and Gina can worry about the rest."

Michael nodded. "Okay, Fi. I think the best approach is for me to keep an eye on him, and when he goes to lunch, I'll move in and sell him on my finishing the job. Then I'll go from there."

"Hopefully he hasn't already hired someone else," Sam said. He took a sip from the beer Gina handed him.

Gina swiped the condensation from her own bottle. "After what he just did, if he did it by himself, it probably kind of freaked him out. From what little we know about him, he takes risks but not that big, and having the attempt fail will probably make him fall back for a little while." She looked up at Michael from where she leaned against the bar. "I think it's a perfect time for you to come in. You offer him a service, and if you can really convince him that his hands will be clean through the whole thing, he'll jump at it."

"I think Gina's right." Fiona added her vote of confidence. "He's a coward when it comes down to it. He had to do his killing remotely. If he really had any nerve, he would have just done it right and killed her. He doesn't have the stomach for it, so if Michael can promise him results without his own involvement, we'll have complete control."

Michael rested his elbows on the bar and rubbed his eyes. "I'll sleep on it and figure out how to make this work. Tomorrow I'll approach him."

"Alright, Mike. We can cover you on your meet. Just let us know when and where."

"Thanks, Sam."

"You're welcome. Come on, Gi, let's go."

"Night, you two." Gina tucked herself under Sam's arm and waved as they headed for the door.

Michael let out a heavy breath. "It's been a long day."

Fiona smiled softly, placed her hands on his shoulders, and kneaded the tense muscles. "Seems to me like you need a little relaxation time." She leaned into him, pressed herself against his side, and kissed his cheek. With a whisper, she said, "Come to bed, Michael, and I'll take care of everything."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

As the sun rose to highlight another hot Miami day, Michael ran along the nearly deserted boardwalk. A man stumbled a half block ahead of him, his back arched and head raised, gasping for air as if he'd been running for awhile, and Michael smiled at his luck. Jeremy had been nearly impossible to find the past couple of days. He wasn't at work, home, or the country club, or any number of places he frequented in his normal life. Thanks to some intel from a friend of Sam's, there was a chance that Michael would find him here doing a morning workout. It was a long shot, but there he was.

Jeremy slowed and stopped, bending over, his chest heaving. When Michael closed the distance, he noted the beads of sweat that dripped from the man's face to the wood, creating dark little craters in the light dusting of sand.

"Hey, you okay," Michael asked, feigning concern as he stopped beside him.

"Yeah... just... just gotta catch my breath." Jeremy gasped out, pressed his hand into his side, cringing. "I, uh, guess this is why... I'm out here. Trying to get back into shape." He grinned and carefully stood.

Michael mirrored the expression, all the while he wanted to do nothing more than throttle the guy. He couldn't understand how the man could walk, or run, around as if nothing was wrong, while his wife still recovered from the strong pain killer disguised as sleeping pills. He held out a hand. "The name's Pete. Pete Carter. It's nice to not be the only guy out here first thing in the morning."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He accepted Michael's hand and shook it. "Jeremy. Jeremy... Brooks." He returned his hand to press into his side.

"You better walk that off. Come on," Michael said as he gently grabbed his arm and led him down the boardwalk, farther away from the increasing morning traffic through the park. "This humidity is a killer, isn't it?"

"Yep. So, Pete, you don't sound like you're from around here."

"Nope, I'm from New York, the Big Apple. I got transferred down here, and now I'm makin' the best of things, you know?"

Jeremy nodded. "What do you do?"

"Contract work." Michael turned to gauge Jeremy's reaction. "It varies. One week I'll be guarding some rich lady's pooch, and the next... I'm takin' a bat to somebody's kneecap." He grinned. "I never get bored."

"People hire you to... to hit someone?" He looked incredulous.

"You didn't hear it from me, not exactly," Michael replied with a smile. "Why?"

"I..." Jeremy hesitated. "I need some help with my wife, I mean, my soon to be ex-wife. At first I just wanted her to get scared and go through with the divorce, but then my attorney reminded me about the pre-nup."

"Man, those things cause more trouble than they're worth, although I love 'em, 'cause it gives me a lot of business." He grinned.

"Really! My company has made me a lot of money, but she owns half of it thanks to that dumb piece of paper. I want it all. After all, I'm the one who did all the work to make it what it is! Why should I share it?"

Michael nodded. "That's understandable. So, what are you sayin'? You want your wife to, uh, disappear?"

"No, too much chance of her showing up later." Through clenched teeth, Jeremy said, "I want her dead. Do you do that kind of thing?"

"Sure. You want it to look like an accident?"

"I want it to look like someone was stalking her. I've already got this guy, this guy I hired before who screwed things up. I want it to look like he's the one who did it, and then the heat's off me. Understand?"

Michael understood perfectly, and it was all he could do to control himself. He stopped in a place that was remote where they could talk without being disturbed. He still spoke softly. "I can do this, but I don't come cheap."

"Whatever you want. I'm at the end of my rope here."

"Let's meet here again this afternoon. I have another meeting, but I really wanna help you out with your situation. We'll talk and come up with a plan together. I'll need details, like what's her schedule, you know, her habits. It'll make things easier."

"No problem. How about at one? Right here."

"I'll be here, Mr. Brooks." He pulled out his wallet from his shorts pocket and handed him a business card.

"Alright." Jeremy smiled, took the card, and shook his hand again, then turned back the way they came.

As soon as Jeremy was out of earshot, Michael got on his phone. "Sam."

"Yeah, Mike."

"I just made contact with Bradley. Your intel was good, I found him exactly where your friend said he'd be."

"That's great. So where is he now?"

"He's heading back to his car. Are you anywhere near the park?" He began his trek to the parking lot. Jeremy was too far ahead to hear him.

"Just pulling into the lot right now." Michael heard a woman's voice in the background. "Yeah, that's his car, hon. Oh, sorry, not you, Mike!" He chuckled. "I was talking to Gina."

"Of course." Michael smiled. "Are you planting a tracker?"

"Gina's got it. So, did he bite on your offer?"

"Yeah, he's interested. It was far too easy, Sam. Either he's really scared and stupid, or he's going to test me. Either way, I want to be prepared. I want to know where he is until our meeting."

"That information you'll have." The car door slammed. "Okay, we're out of here. Looks like the signal is coming in strong, so now we can keep an eye on our murderous friend."

"I have an appointment with him at one, same place I just met him. I want you and Gina there to back me up, so we'll show up about a half hour early to get in place. Park in the lot south of where you are now."

"Alrighty, we'll be there at twelve thirty. Right now, we're headed back to the FBI offices."

"Be careful, Sam." Michael teased, after hearing about the first visit.

"Yeah, right." He laughed. "Gina did a quick lift of some prints from the door handle of Jeremy's car, so we'll take those over there and see if they match with our evidence. We'll see you later, if I don't talk to you first."

"See you later, Sam." Michael put his phone back into his pocket and started running to the parking lot. He spotted Jeremy still walking, and when he passed, he noticed the man was on the phone. He pretended not to know Michael, and Michael returned the courtesy. Bradley may not have been the sharpest guy when it came to covert activity, but he appeared to have a little sense. One in the afternoon would come fast, and Michael had a lot of prep work to do.

* * *

He stopped at the spot where he first met Jeremy. It was a little early for Sam and Gina's arrival, so he spent the time scoping out the area, a sparsely traveled section of boardwalk on the south end of the park near the light house. He'd had many meetings along this stretch in the past because of its remoteness. Most park visitors took a different route to the light house, one that involved driving through the park. Just beyond the dunes covered with tall grass, he heard a car pull into the parking lot. Two doors slammed. Most likely it was his friends. Just in case, he looked around for his possible exit options if needed.

The grasses swayed in the breeze and he heard the additional swish of bodies passing through it. Right on time, Sam and Gina appeared through the wall of green and shuffled down the dune to meet him on the boardwalk.

"Hey, Mikey," Sam greeted him. "Lookin' sharp." He took in the gray pinstriped suit.

"Very nice," Gina added with an appreciative smile. "You look very... New York mobbish."

"Good. That's what I want to portray. I want Jeremy to think he's buying a real pro who will make his problem go away and leave him clear."

"Once he makes the deal with you, then what?" Gina asked. "Will you come up with a strategy where he has to help you do the job?"

"No, it'll be more like I want him to take control of the job. I'll ask him to be there so he can see that it's done, but then something will happen, and he'll have to either do it himself or chicken out and realize that Nancy's never going away."

"Why do I have this feeling that blanks and blood packs are going to be involved," Sam asked, a disgusted look on his face. "I hate fake blood!"

"Oh, like the real stuff is any better?" Gina quirked an eyebrow at him, a hint of a smile on her face.

"You know what I mean, Gi."

"Yes, Sam, we're probably going to need blood packs. Fi can help us with that."

"Yeah. She had a blast, no pun intended, the last time we used them." He turned and surveyed the area. "Looks like our best bet for being obscure is up on the dune."

"I figured that would be the case." Gina said. "Glad I changed clothes." She wore a light tan sleeveless top with light olive colored cotton shorts.

Sam wore what was for him an understated hawaiian shirt with khaki pants. "I'll just make sure I'm well hidden."

"How did things go with the prints from the car," Michael asked.

"We got a match on the key, but not the paint brush." Sam answered. "The good news, sort of, is that the prints on the brush match the guy Jeremy hired. Messing up the house was probably phase two of the plan. Unfortunately, it doesn't link Jeremy to the crime."

Michael handed Sam a small recording device. "I'm wearing a wire, so we may not need proof right now. For the moment I'll take a confession, and then we build a case around it."

"Okay." Sam checked the time. "Gi, we better get up there and get ready for Jeremy to show up." He took her hand. "Good luck, Mike."

"Thanks."

Sam and Gina climbed the tall dune and disappeared over the ridge just as Michael saw Jeremy walking toward him. He stood waiting with hands clasped in front of him. He shrugged away a couple beads of perspiration that ran down his back, reminding him again why he preferred to not wear suits in Miami, especially when accompanied with a buttoned up shirt and confining tie. But he had to look the part. He blew out a breath of air, swallowed in an effort to slightly loosen the tie, and nodded at Jeremy.

"You came," Michael said. "I wasn't sure if you would or not. You know, I took a risk approaching you like that and giving you my card, but you looked like a guy who really needed my help."

"I do." Jeremy nodded. "I let this other guy handle things, but nothing worked. He called her incessantly, left things on her door step, trashed the place when she was in the hospital."

Michael pretended to be shocked. "She's in the hospital?"

"Yeah. This guy broke into her house and replaced her sleeping pills with something. He guaranteed it would kill her if she took only a couple. Well, somehow she wound up in the hospital, they saved her, and now I'm back to square one." Jeremy held out a sheet of paper. "This is her usual schedule, although once she's released, I don't know what's going to happen."

"I can find that out. Don't worry about it." Michael studied the paper. "Do you want to be there to make sure it's done right? I have a lot of clients who do, gives them a sense of closure."

"I hadn't really thought about it, but... I want to make sure it's done this time, finished." Jeremy nodded. "Yeah, I want to be there."

"Okay. I'll just bet that as soon as she's released from the hospital, she'll go into hiding. So I got a friend who can get me the information on where she'll be. As soon as she's there, I'll let you know, and we'll go in with guns blazing. No more messing around."

"We?" Jeremy gulped.

"Me and my friends." Michael grimaced at how the thought of witnessing, let alone participating, in murdering his wife face to face was too much for him to handle. Jeremy was truly a despicable man. "It looks like she does a lot of charity work with the homeless. We can probably capitalize on that, get her in a bad part of town. We'll make it look like some kind of gang thing, and she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Whatever. Just figure out how to do it and get it over with! Then I can drop all this mess with the divorce." Jeremy looked around, his hands shifting inside his pockets. "Look, I've got to get back to the office. Call me when you get this arranged, okay?" He handed him a business card.

"In a day or so, I should have it worked out. It all depends on when your wife gets out of the hospital."

"Okay." Jeremy backed up a few steps. "If you can pull this off, I'll pay you a hundred grand."

"That's a very fair offer, Mr. Brooks. I'll be in touch."

Jeremy turned on his expensive loafer and hurried back to the parking lot. Michael watched him walk away, and when he turned toward the lot, he signaled to Sam and Gina that it was clear. They hurried down the dune and stood with him.

"Man, my skin was crawling up there. I had to check to make sure it wasn't sand fleas," Gina said. "But it was the things he was saying. Talk about a scumbag!"

"I thought I was going to have to restrain you," Sam declared as he looked down at the scowl still on her face.

"If you hadn't had a good grip on my hand, I might have rushed down here and let him have it." She hugged herself and shook her head. "When can we put together our plan? The sooner that guy goes down, the better."

"Patience, Gina."

"I'm sorry, Michael, patience was never one of my strong points, and when there are people like him running around, I have even less of it." She let out a breath. "I'm sorry. Maybe I should step back from this and let you guys handle it." Without warning, Gina turned around and trotted up the dune.

"Sam, what's going on?"

"I don't know, Mike. I'm as much in the dark as you are." They watched her disappear over the top.

"If she gets involved, you better make sure she's ready to do this without letting her emotions get in the way."

"I'm all over that. Believe me. Let me know when we're ready to prepare. If we have to, maybe we can get Fi involved and Gina can watch Amani." He turned away and started for the dune. "Just call me when you're ready. In the meantime, I'll work on her and find out what's going on, and maybe I can get her head in the game before this all goes down."

"Okay. I'll keep in touch."

Gina didn't say anything when Sam got into the driver's seat and drove them out of the park. He was about to say something to get the conversation started, but his phone rang. Torn between the silence and seeing the name on the screen, he opted to answer. Maybe after he was done with the phone call, he'd know what to say. "Hi, Maddie. I was just with Mike, and..."

"I wasn't calling about him, Sam. I heard that things have been getting serious between you and Gina, that woman you brought to the wedding."

He silently wondered who told her that. _Fi, it had to be! _"Yes, they have, Maddie." He snuck a glance at the woman beside him and smiled. "So?"

"I want you to bring her here for dinner tonight!"

"Uh, dinner, huh. Well, yeah, sure, we can do that." He noticed that Gina turned her head, her attention on him and questions in her eyes.

"Oh good! I'm making meat loaf. She's not a vegetarian or anything, is she?"

Sam's mouth tipped up. "No, she's not."

"Great! See you at six?"

"We'll be there. Are Mike and Fi coming, too?"

"No, Michael said he and Fi had a 'date night', and they have a sitter for Amani." She let out a breathy sound. "Whatever. That's okay, we'll have a great time! See you at six, Sam!"

"Yeah, see you at six, Maddie." He let out a breath and met Gina's eyes briefly. "We've been invited to Mike's mom's house for dinner. Just the two of us."

Gina's eyebrow rose. "That's strange."

"Not really. She's thinks of me as family, not just one of Mike's friends. She heard about you and me, probably from Fi, and now she wants to give you the third degree."

"We met at the wedding, if I remember correctly. Nice lady," Gina said.

"She wants to get to know you better, I'm sure. Don't worry about it, she's harmless. Her meat loaf on the other hand, that might be lethal." Gina laughed, and whatever had been bothering her earlier was swept away. But Sam still remembered. "Before then, I want us to talk about what happened back at the dunes."

Gina sobered and turned her attention out the window. "I figured that was coming. Let's go to the beach."

"That's exactly where I was headed." He smiled at her. They'd been together long enough for him to know that when Gina needed to talk heart to heart, the calming rhythm of the surf was like a balm for whatever upset her and made it easier to discuss things.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Sam put his arm around Gina's shoulders and led her to the beach. They took off their shoes and walked through the sand, neither of them saying a word. He sensed her body rise and fall with a deep breath and he looked down at her. She pressed into him and tightened her grip on his waist.

"I know you're puzzled by my reaction to Jeremy Bradley and this whole situation. It hits too close to home." She looked up at him. "When I was fifteen, my parents were in the middle of a divorce and it got ugly. Not that their married life was pretty. He was an abuser and made her life a living hell. My sister and I hated him, and I think the feeling was pretty mutual." She sighed. "Fortunately, he was gone a lot. But when they finally decided to get divorced, my father wanted to end it completely."

"What did he do?"

"He shot her. Jane and I came home from school and found her bleeding out, and our father was in the guest bathroom cleaning up as if he'd just been puttering in the garage or something." She blinked rapidly as the memory brought old emotions to the surface, and she looked up at Sam. "He was a monster, Sam. No remorse, no emotion over what he'd done. Jane had the presence of mind to call the police, and I went to see if there was anything I could do to help Mom, but her life slipped away while I held her in my arms."

"Gina." Her name came out on an emotion-choked breath as he turned her into his chest and he held her there.

When her sorrow was spent, she raised her head off his chest. "He tried to leave, but I was so angry... I literally jumped from the top of the porch, landed on him, and beat the crap out of him until the police showed up. I came out of it with a few scars, but I didn't care." A bubble of melancholy laughter bubbled up from her. "I had so much blood on me between my mom and him, the cops didn't know what to make of it. And then my dad had the audacity to claim that I killed her!"

"Where is he now?"

"You don't have to worry. He's got a life sentence in the state prison, so he's not going anywhere." She sniffled. "It took my sister and me several years of therapy to get through it. She still hasn't been able to trust men, and she's very isolated."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." He held her close again. "There are a few good guys left in this world."

"I know. And I thank God that I found two of them, one after the other." She placed a hand behind Sam's head and pulled him down to kiss her. He leaned into her, slipped both arms around her body and tenderly pressed his lips to hers.

When they parted, he asked, his voice gruff with emotion. "Were you ever going to tell me about this?"

"One day, when the time was right. I'm sorry, Sam. It's just one of those things that's so painful, and yet it had a big influence on me going to college for Criminal Justice and joining the FBI." She looked down at the sand. "I should have told you earlier." Then she looked up at him with moist eyes. "I hope you don't think it wasn't that I didn't trust you or anything."

"That thought had occurred to me, but then again, I know what pain can make you do. I've got a lot in my past that I'd rather leave in the dark, because it... it just hurts too much to dredge it up again."

"Well, then, I guess we're both damaged goods, huh," Gina said with a grimace.

"Nobody's perfect, baby." He reached for her and she found refuge in his arms again. After awhile, they picked up their shoes and continued walking up the coast. He could tell that the demons of the past were again locked up behind an impervious door in Gina's mind, because she stepped lightly through the surf and kicked up the remnants as the water slithered back to the ocean.

"I'm glad I got that out, Sam. I didn't realize how much it was bothering me that you didn't know."

"I'm glad you told me. If it was that therapeutic, I might have to unload some of my crap some day." He squeezed her hand.

"Any time, just bring it on." She looked up at him, the sadness in her eyes replaced by the usual sparkle he saw there. "I want to be there for you, just like you were for me. I love you, Sam. I... I can't believe I'm saying this, but... I think I love you more than I loved Trent."

That revelation hit Sam hard, and he took a step back. "You mean that?"

"Yeah, I do. I've been fighting it, but this little moment we had forced me to admit it to myself."

When they kissed again, it was if they were both on fire. "Let's go home," Sam whispered. "We've got time. Lots of time before we have to be at Maddie's."

She whispered back. "No, let's go the marina. It's closer."

* * *

Michael returned home and found Fiona waiting with Nancy. She looked a bit pale and lacked energy, but she was upright and alive. He entered the loft and discovered them sitting at the table with Amani in the high chair playing with a toy. The women stopped talking when they heard the squeaking door. He saw Fiona's hand trailing over the gun in her lap.

"Michael, you're home!"

"You picked up Nancy." He stopped at the table and looked down at her . "How are you feeling?"

"Okay, but I'd feel a lot better if Jeremy was behind bars."

"Don't worry, it'll happen. I met with him this morning and this afternoon." He sat next to Fiona and gave them a report on what happened. "So in a couple of days, when you're stronger, we'll set up the sting operation."

Fiona could barely contain her glee. She liked mixing up things, whether it was explosives or fake blood. "This will be quite the comeuppance for Jeremy. Just wait, Nancy. It'll be fun. Tomorrow, you can help me make the blood and we'll package it up."

"You'll have to excuse Fi," Michael said as he gave his wife a long look. "Sometimes, she enjoys her work too much."

"I understand," Nancy said with a sly smile. "Seeing Jeremy go down in flames will be a pleasure."

* * *

It was a good thing that Gina had the foresight to set the alarm next to the bed. After she and Sam spent the afternoon inside the boat, they fell asleep in each other's arms. Without the alarm, they would have been late to Maddie's.

Sam mumbled something and rolled to his back. Gina rolled to her right and turned off the piercing beep. "Sam, it's five o'clock. We better get up."

For a bed on a boat, this was a pretty good one. He didn't want to move. "Aw, Gi, it's just meatloaf," he muttered, rolled toward her and captured her, pulling her body against his. He buried his face in the nape of her neck and kissed her shoulder.

She sensed that he was ready for another round, and she really hated to deny him. "How much time do we need to get ready to go to Maddie's?"

"She doesn't live far from here. Ten, twenty minutes, tops." He nibbled on her ear, causing her to giggle.

"Okay, you." She turned in his firm grasp, put her arms around his shoulders and said, "Give me some sugar, baby."

"Hey, you stole my line." He chuckled and went in for a kiss, and they melted into each other one more time. She felt so soft and warm, and the easy way she responded to his touch nearly did him in before she was ready. He loved the way she met him and pressed into him. He'd been with far more women than he cared to count, but when he was with Gina, it was as if their two souls became one.

"You should have asked if we should bring something," Gina said before they left the boat.

"I didn't really think about that," Sam replied as he ran his hand through his damp hair, putting it in place.

"No problem. I think we still have some wine on board." She opened a door in the galley and found several bottles stored inside. "Hmm, not sure what goes well with meatloaf, but this will probably do." She slipped the bottle into a sack, turned and smiled at him. "Let's go."

She locked up the boat and met him on the dock. His hand sought hers, entwining their fingers, and they swung a little as they hurried to the car. Her eyes slipped up to his, alight with love.

"What?" He grinned at her.

"It's just that I really love you."

"I love you too, Gi. I don't know if I've ever loved anyone this much before."

Her smile widened, and he knew just how much that pleased her. "So, is Maddie kind of like your surrogate mom?"

"Yeah, kinda, although she would have been pretty young if we were related by blood." He laughed. "Why do you ask?"

"I feel like I did when Trent took me to meet his parents."

"You do, huh?" He grinned. "Don't worry about it. Maddie's great. She'll love you."

* * *

Maddie's head rose as she heard the back door open, and she grinned at the sight of Sam and Gina entering the house. She quickly set the roasting pan on the top of the stove. "Sam! Gina! You made it!" She slipped off the oven mitt and approached them, giving Gina a hug first. "So glad you could come, Gina ." She gave Sam a hug too, and took the bottle that Gina offered her. "Thank you for the wine. Did you want to have this with dinner?"

"Maybe after," Gina said with a smile. "I don't know how well it goes with meatloaf."

Maddie laughed. "Me neither, honey. That's why I thought I'd ask." She set the bottle on the counter and continued. "Why don't you two go sit down at the table. I just have to get this out there, and we're ready to eat."

Sam and Gina went into the dining room, and he immediately noticed it was set for four. "Maddie, who's eating with us?"

"I was going to surprise you," she replied. "Virgil is here!"

Just then, Virgil appeared from upstairs. He saw Sam and Gina and grinned. "Hey there, Sammy!" The men started with a hand shake and ended with a man hug, thumping each other's backs. Virgil locked eyes on Gina, and Sam could see he was impressed with what he saw. "Nice to see you again, Gina."

"Okay, everything's ready. Let's sit down," Maddie announced as she set the platter of meat in the center of the table.

Like Sam said she would, Maddie gave Gina the third degree, asking about her past, her first husband, and how she wound up in the FBI. Gina answered all her questions and managed to get in some of her own, putting her on the spot as far as her relationship with Virgil was concerned. Sam spent most of the meal in silence, reveling in her turning the tables on Maddie. It was all done under the best of intentions, and by the end of the evening, Gina offered a reciprocal invitation for Maddie and Virgil to go boating with her and Sam sometime.

"You did good in there, Gi," Sam said as he opened her door and let her get into the car.

"I don't back down from interrogations like that." She paused and looked up at him. "Michael's mom has been through her own personal hell, hasn't she? I think in that sense we're a couple of kindred spirits." He closed the door and got into the driver's seat. "I like her, Sam."

"She can be a real sweetheart. She was easy on you, but believe me, I've seen her get Japanese gangsters to talk. So don't ever get on her bad side." He started the car and drove them to Gina's house.

* * *

Michael and Fiona dropped Amani off at a friend's house, leaving Nancy alone at the loft to rest. Instead of going someplace nice, however, Michael drove the two of them to a small cafe where they could melt into a corner and not be disturbed.

"Are you sure about this, Michael?"

"Yes. The way Nancy said she would enjoy seeing Jeremy go down in flames set off an alarm. She's planning something, and I want to know what it is."

Fiona sat back and crossed her arms. "So you planted a bug in our own home."

"More than one," Michael replied with a smile. He pulled out a small receiver and handed her an ear bud. "Just listen and we'll see if I'm right or not."

They ordered and as they waited for their food, a drama unfolded at the loft. The door squeaked, and they heard Nancy's voice. "Come on in."

"Are we alone?"

"Yeah, my protectors have gone out for the evening," she replied with amusement in her voice. "Wes, it's almost over. Once Jeremy is out of the way, everything will be ours and we can get married and live happily ever after." There were sounds of kissing, soft moans, and something falling to the floor.

One of the bugs, which Michael hid in Nancy's room, picked up every sound the lovers made. Fiona pulled the ear bud out and made a face. "Michael, I don't know how you can listen in on that!"

"One of them might give away their plan while they're..."

Fiona let out a huff. "I doubt it. You're just being a voyeur." After awhile she couldn't help but check to hear if anything had changed. She got another earful and dropped it again. "Michael!"

"I think they're almost done."

Fiona blushed and turned away. When he touched her arm, she gave him her attention. "What?"

"Listen in."

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Wes asked Nancy.

"Oh yeah. These people will make sure he's arrested for killing me, only I won't really be dead. The cops will be there, and they'll put him into a squad car."

"Okay, I'll take care of everything after that point. He won't get away with this."

"I knew hooking up with you was a good idea, Wes."

"I love you, Nan."

"I know."

Through the rest of their meal Michael and Fiona hoped to hear more details of what exactly the two planned to do, but they only heard more intimate interactions.

"We should go home, Fi. We're not going to get any more out of them, I'm afraid."

"And what we heard was plenty," Fi muttered. "You should call Sam and let him know what we discovered."

* * *

Sam's phone rang as he and Gina stood in the dark in the foyer, kissing. He hoped it would let up, but it continued ringing.

"You better check that, Sam." Gina spoke softly as she arched away, reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone. "It's Michael."

He snatched it from her hand. "Mike, it's kind of late, isn't it? I thought you and Fi had a date tonight."

"We did, and we're almost home. Nancy is ready, Sam. A little more ready than we thought." He quickly relayed what he'd heard on the bug. "Tomorrow we'll do the prep work as if we don't know her plan and I'll set up a time and place with Jeremy after you and I scout it out, and then we'll go from there."

"Okay, Gina and I will be over at nine. Sound good?"

"Yeah. See you then, and wear something that you don't mind getting ruined."

Sam barked out a laugh. "No problem, brother."

"Oh, by the way, how'd things go at my Mom's?"

"Just fine." Sam smiled at Gina and pulled her close. "I think she got the Maddie seal of approval. Not that I was worried."

"Good to hear." Even though Sam was not her flesh and blood, Michael knew how his mother's opinions could sway a relationship. Getting her approval was worth more than either man would publicly acknowledge. "Well, we'll see you tomorrow."

"We'll be there, Mikey."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Gina and Sam arrived the next day wearing old clothes and discovered Fi in the kitchen mixing up the last batch of blood. Soon the blood pack production was in full swing. As they worked, Michael went over the plan so that everyone knew what their role was. Jeremy wouldn't know what hit him, and neither would Nancy by the time the dust settled. Michael and Sam found the perfect place to put their plan into action and returned in time to dress for the meeting.

Jeremy was there on time. He arranged to meet Michael a block away from the overpass, and he stood next to his car fidgeting. Michael got out of his car, hid a pleased smile, and approached him.

"Mr. Bradley, are you sure you want to do this? You're lookin' kinda nervous."

"No, it's okay, Pete. I want to do this, let's just get it done."

"Okay, now, just one thing. Do you have a gun on you?"

"What? Why would I need a gun? You're the guy who's going to do the shooting, right?" Jeremy stared at Michael with wide eyes.

"Just in case," Michael said as he pulled out a semi-automatic hand gun and placed it in Jeremy's hand.

"Wh-what do you want me to do with this?"

"Just in case something happens and I don't get her. You have to be ready to take the shot yourself. Not that you'll need to. I just use this as an insurance policy of sorts, you know?" He smiled thinly. "And besides, a lot of guys like to just put one in, just to say they had the chance."

"Oh. Okay." Jeremy nodded, his nerves settling a little, and he stuck the gun into his waistband.

"You know how to take the safety off on that thing?"

Jeremy shook his head. Michael wordlessly asked for the gun and showed him. "There you go, that's it. You do that, bam! And it's all over. Now, let's go take care of business."

Michael and Jeremy walked side by side to the overpass and went underneath. Several homeless people hung around, although not as many as Jeremy would have expected. An unkempt middle aged man dressed in clothes that looked more like rags sat on the incline next to a shopping cart full of his meager belongings. He watched them with a steely gaze as they passed. Half way underneath the humming freeway, they saw Nancy with a couple of homeless women, talking to them as she handed out sandwiches and bottles of water. She was the only one giving them aid today, exactly how Michael planned it.

"H-how are you going to do this," Jeremy asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"Just walk up and shoot. It's cleaner that way. Come on."

They stopped a few feet away and Nancy turned to them, her hands full of sandwiches. "Jeremy." Her voice shook slightly. "What are you doing here?"

Michael raised the gun he held at his side.

"Gun!"

Another homeless man jumped up from behind a cart and took a shot at Michael. Blood exploded out of the front of his shirt as he went down to the pavement with one shot, a shocked look on his face as the red stain spread on his chest. Jeremy screamed as he looked down at the man who was supposed to solve his problems, now laying there dead. Another shot missed his head, and he ducked. His eyes were on Nancy, being sheltered by another homeless person, a woman. Everything had gone wrong in one shot. Jeremy was angry, too angry to let it all fall apart. He'd come too far and done too much to let it end this way. The only one walking out of the place alive was him.

He took off the safety and fired at Nancy. The gun shook in his hand and bucked as it went off, but her face registered surprise as the bullet hit its mark. She crumpled to the ground in the arms of the homeless woman with long stringy reddish brown hair hanging in her face. He didn't expect her to suddenly raise a gun and aim it at him. Instinctively, he shot her twice, once in the chest, and once in the back as she fell and landed over Nancy. Jeremy hoped the bullet pierced her and hit Nancy, just in case the first one didn't do the job.

The bum on the incline rushed at him. He fired twice, stopping the man dead in his tracks. His arms flailed and he landed face first in the dirt. The last shots echoed off the concrete, fading away until the only sound was his breath and the swish of cars speeding over his head. He turned to try to find the other bum that he saw when they first arrived, but only the cart was there. Jeremy knew he couldn't let the guy run and spew what he saw to the cops. He glanced down at Michael, shook his head, and ran toward the cart. He looked around as he reached the daylight, not seeing him anywhere.

"Put the gun down."

He turned and found himself face to face with a woman dressed in ripped and dirty clothes holding a gun. He cocked a grin at her.

"FBI. Put the gun down now, Mr. Bradley. I won't ask again." Her serious expression and the badge she held out wiped the smile off his face.

He heard the crunch of broken glass under tires and turned to find several Miami PD vehicles converging on the scene. The middle aged bum came out of hiding with a gun trained on him. He recognized him. "You..."

Sam said, "Just shut up and drop the gun, Bradley."

Jeremy panicked. With all the police holding up their guns at him, he knew this was the end. He was going to prison. But not if they couldn't take him alive. He put the gun to his head. "I'm not going in. Come any closer, and I'll shoot."

Sam countered, "You know that gun is loaded with blanks."

"Blanks?" Jeremy's eyes widened in horror. "Blanks?"

"Yeah, blanks. Just put it down, because I can assure you that those cops, Gina, and I have real bullets."

Jeremy let out a deep sigh, pulled the gun away from his head, and slowly set it on the ground. Before he could straighten, Gina came forward and kicked it out of the way and brought out a pair of cuffs.

"Hands on your head," she ordered Jeremy. With Sam and the others watching, she tucked her gun into a shoulder holster and cuffed him. Then she handed Jeremy off to an officer who read him his rights as he was escorted to a police car. In her peripheral vision, she spied Michael, Fiona, Nancy, and Jesse as they came forward, each one covered in fake blood. "Well, that went well. Almost too easy, if you ask me."

"It's scary how quickly he picked up on taking charge and 'killing' me," Nancy said. "But won't he just get charged with some minor crime?"

"Conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, and a few other charges should keep him in prison for awhile," Michael replied. "Don't worry, Nancy. He won't hurt you anymore."

"Good." She put her hands on her hips and watched the officer close the door on Jeremy. "I'm ready to move on."

Suddenly, a rapid fire of shots rang out, and everyone searched for the source. Michael's eyes honed in on someone tucked into the shadows in the small space between the overpass and the incline, where a narrow strip of concrete leveled off. He assumed that it had to be Wes. Officers regrouped and trained their guns on the shooter, shouting at him or her to stop and drop the gun. In the chaos, no one noticed that Nancy pulled out a small box from her pocket and pressed the button. The squad car exploded in a fireball and fury of noise. The officers were temporarily distracted, giving the shooter time to flee.

Jesse saw him scurry down the incline, and he went on the chase. He didn't get very far, because Jesse was taller and had longer legs, and he was able to leap and tackle him. With the distraction, Nancy tossed the detonator away into a tangled patch of weeds.

"Uh uh. I saw that," Fiona said as she pressed a gun into Nancy's back as she tried to distance herself from the group. "And yes, I do have real bullets in this gun. Hands up."

* * *

Gina and Sam approached the small group at the table. "Nice to see everybody cleaned up well," Gina said with a smirk as she and Sam sat in the last two seats. "I have to tell you, I've never worked with fake blood before, and hope I don't have to again."

"What? You didn't get any on yourself," Fiona protested.

"No, but I helped you guys make it. Nasty stuff!"

"We don't use it very often, but now and then it comes in handy." Michael asked. "So what's the word on Nancy and Jeremy?"

"Nancy is in some deep trouble, naturally. The judge wouldn't allow bail because she's too big of a flight risk," Gina answered. She took a sip of the drink set before her. "Jeremy is cooling his heels in jail as well, with no bail. Man, I've never seen two people hate each other more." She shook her head.

"You know, it's a good thing you guys took that 'date night'," Sam said with a wink. "Otherwise, we would have missed out on half the plan."

Jesse added. "I'm glad we were able to inform the cops so they could figure out which car he rigged to blow, and then it was a matter of making Nancy think that Jeremy was in that car."

"Makes you wonder what kind of relationship they had before it all went bad, but then again, I'm not sure I wanna know," Sam declared.

Gina asked, "Are all your cases this weird?"

The four glanced at each other and smiled. "No, but they can get pretty complicated sometimes," Michael answered.

"I was thinking maybe you might need some help, but this was pretty wild. Not sure I'm ready to handle it."

Fiona sat Amani in her lap and snuggled him. "We could always use a friend in the FBI, couldn't we, Michael?"

Gina nodded. "Maybe after I've seen a little more how you work, and if things continue with Sam and me," she paused and looked deeply into his eyes for a moment. "Then maybe I'll join your team."

"We'll be glad to have you," Michael said. "You were a real asset, Gina."

"Thanks."

After they were alone, Gina spoke to Sam. "I noticed you were kind of quiet for awhile. What's up?"

"Nothing, just something you said. 'If things continue with Sam and me'. What did you mean by that?" He tried to keep the anxiety out of his voice. It was just his luck that he'd find the woman who made him complete and then something would happen to ruin everything.

She looked into his eyes and saw sadness and a bit of fear in them. Laying her hand on his, she said, "It's not what you think. I... I have to go to Washington for awhile."

"How long is awhile?"

"It'll be a few months." She dropped her gaze from his, and when she returned, she blinked. "I don't want to go, but it's a big assignment. I'm up for a promotion if this all works out. The only trouble is, if I get the promotion, I'll be spending most, if not all, of my time in DC."

"So what you're saying is I have to decide if staying in Miami is more important than being with you?"

"No, that's not what I meant."

"Then what? Gi, I have a life here, work that I love, and friends who are more like family. It's not easy to walk away from all that." He shook his head. "I love you, Gi, but I don't think I can leave everything behind."

"If we're meant to be together, we'll work it out somehow." She held his hand and caressed it, then smiled. "I haven't gotten the promotion yet, so let's not get excited about this until the offer is made."

"Okay. It's still not going to be easy with you in DC and me here."

She smiled. "If you miss me too much, you can always come and visit. This case won't take me outside of the city much, if at all."

"I just might do that. And maybe I can help you with your work."

"That could be fun." Gina smiled wide. "Let's go home. I have to start packing, although I won't take too much, since I'll be up there long enough for colder weather to kick in and I'll have to buy some stuff." She shifted in her seat. "After living in Florida all my life, I'm not sure about dealing with the cold!"

* * *

With Gina gone, Michael expected Sam to fall back into his old routine. He knew his friend had feelings for her, but often Sam would find himself distracted by other women when he was in a relationship. That didn't happen this time. The first week she was gone, he and Fiona didn't see Sam at all. He spent his time at Gina's house, doing what, nobody knew. Concerned about him, Michael paid him a visit. The maid opened the door, let him in, and directed him to the pool. Sam was on the phone with someone, and he didn't sound pleased.

"Yeah, well the next time you come asking for a favor, pal, you can forget about it." He hung up the phone and turned to see Michael standing there. He grinned. "Hey, Mikey!"

"Is everything okay, Sam?"

"It's fine, Mike. Just having a little disagreement with an old friend, that's all. Hey, you want something to drink? Gina's got a well-stocked bar, and..."

"No, I just stopped by to see how you're doing." Michael stared deep into Sam's eyes and saw the loneliness there. "We haven't seen you in awhile. We're worried about you."

"I'm good, Mike. Really. I've, uh, been talking to some old buddies back in DC." He looked down at the pool deck, breaking contact with Michael's surprised gaze.

At first, he couldn't say anything. But then he had to know. "Sam, what's going on?"

"Nothing, at least not yet. I've, uh, been putting out some feelers, see what the intelligence community is doing up in DC." He finally took his attention off of everywhere but his friend and locked eyes with him. "I was hoping I could find something up there, a job that I can work, so Gina and I can be together."

"Wow, Sam, this is serious between you two."

"Damn right it is." His shoulders slumped, he ran a hand through his hair, and said, "It's crazy how much I love her, Mike. It hasn't even been a month, and I feel like part of me has been hacked off. You know I go to all the old haunts and see tons of gorgeous women. Some of them obviously rich, too, but I look at them and... it's like shopping for a Toyota when you've got an awesome Cadillac in the garage."

Michael understood that this was new territory for Sam. "Maybe you need to just go visit her for a little bit, kind of get a taste for DC, and decide if this is really what you want."

"Right now, I feel like I don't want to be anyplace where Gina is not." He paused. "So, why else did you come here? I know you didn't want to hear me cry in my beer."

"We've got a job, and I need your help."

Throwing off his self-pity, he straightened and said, "You know I've got your back, brother. What is it?"

Sam threw himself into the cases that he and his friends were hired to handle, and now and then he worked with Michael on a project with the CIA. Some days he fell into bed exhausted, but alone, and it was that singleness that caused him to lie awake longer than he should have been, resulting in many a late-night phone call with Gina. He knew it was hard on her, but she could easily beg off, which she did sometimes. Most nights when he called her they burned up the phone minutes, and he knew that what he was feeling wasn't a one-way street.

After another two hour conversation, most of it spent talking about what she was doing, he rolled over onto his stomach and stretched his arm across the empty side of the bed. Every time they talked, he thought it would make him feel better. When he closed the connection, he realized he was only fooling himself.

"I can't do this any more, Gi," he whispered to her empty pillow. "I need you."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Sam pulled his bag from the overhead bin and threw his jacket over his arm, then waited for what seemed like an eternity for the line of people ahead of him to move. The air inside the plane was stifling now that they were parked at the gate. Or maybe it was just his eagerness to get off and find Gina that made it so uncomfortable.

"Come on," he muttered and fought to keep from tapping his foot impatiently.

"Sam, relax. She's not going to leave us at the curb."

He turned and glanced at Michael. "I know. I just hate this part of flying."

Michael nodded. His phone rang, and he answered it. Sam turned to face forward again and noted with relief that the line started moving. Flying coach would have been understandable if they were flying on their own dime, but this was CIA business. A sign of the times, he supposed. The days of government perks were on the way out.

When the mass of humanity spewed them out into the concourse, Sam breathed easier. He and Michael stood for a few moments, regained their bearings, and followed the mob as they moved toward baggage claim. They packed light, since this was only a debrief and they wouldn't be around for more than a couple days. Sam, however, planned on staying a little longer. He looked through the plate glass windows and noticed the sky was overcast and looked like rain. Most of the time he would be inside, so he didn't care. But if it got colder, he wasn't sure how his jacket would hold up.

They passed security on the left and the long line of people waiting to go through, and beyond them stood more people waiting for loved ones arriving. But there was only one that Sam's roving eyes sought. On the first sweep, he didn't see her. The second time, she was still absent. A cold lump formed inside him. What if she forgot? Or she was too busy? It wasn't often that he was stood up, and a cold sense of rejection slapped him .

"Fi says 'stay warm'." Michael stuffed his phone into his pocket and looked around. "Where's Gina?"

"I don't know. Guess we're gonna have to..."

"Sam!"

He stopped at the sound of her voice and scanned the crowd again.

"Sam! Over here!"

Sam turned to the right just as Gina pressed between a couple of people and opened her arms wide. She wore a tailored suit that made her look so professional, but her face bore a silly grin and her eyes leaked and streaked her mascara as she took a step toward him. He lost the strength to hold onto his suitcase and he dropped it onto the floor along with his jacket. His legs, however, moved quickly toward her. He wrapped his arms around her, picked her up, and peppered her with kisses while she clung to him and her tears flowed, giving the bystanders a sweet show.

Michael watched with a sympathetic smile. Sam's things were in the way of the other passengers, so he picked them up and moved to the side to allow them free access. Sam and Gina were still blocking part of the concourse. Michael put a hand on his friend's back and gently pushed, just enough to urge him to move out of the way.

"Oh baby, I missed you." Sam finally tore his lips away from hers, let her feet touch the floor as he took in a deep breath of her and he muttered into her hair. "You smell so good. You're letting your hair grow out." He pulled away just enough to look into her smudged eyes.

"I decided to try something new," Gina replied. "Sam, I'm so glad you were able to come here!" She dove into his lips again until Michael cleared his throat.

Sam turned his head slightly toward him. "Sorry, Mike."

"It's okay. But we should probably get moving. We have to get checked in at the hotel and meet the director for dinner."

"Doing the debrief over dinner," Gina asked.

"No, that's tomorrow," Michael replied. "Today we're just getting in and having a little meeting, that's all."

"Mike is going to tell him that he can stick the job offer. He and Fi are staying in Miami with their family."

Gina's smile widened. "As if anyone really had any doubts about that! You belong in Miami, Michael. Are you retiring from the CIA completely?" While she spoke, she dabbed at her eyes, cleaning up her streaked face.

"I still have a few months before Fi is due. I'll see what I can get done for them in that time, and then I'll be working with Sam on the freelance work."

"I see." Gina looked up at Sam, realizing that they had a lot to talk about later. "Well, allow me to escort you to your hotel. Can I steal Sam away after that, or does he have to attend this dinner with you?" She clung to his arm as they walked toward the exit.

"No, this is just between the director and me. Tomorrow he'll have to be at the debrief, and then he's all yours for however long you want him."

"Oh, I like the sound of that!" She squeezed his arm and pulled out her phone. "Hang on, I'll get our ride." She spoke briefly, put it away, and said, "They'll be here in a couple of minutes."

A black sedan with tinted windows pulled up to the curb. The driver got out, opened the door, and Gina and Sam got in. Michael followed.

"Hey, this is pretty nice," Michael remarked. "Not as nice as Nate's limos, but it'll do. It's more economical."

"That's the FBI these days," Gina said. "Although sometimes you'd never know it." When they reached their hotel, Gina got out with the men and the car stayed at the curb. She told the driver, "We'll be back in a few minutes."

Michael and Sam checked in, their bags were taken upstairs, and Michael said, "I guess this is where you go off and have fun, and I have a boring evening. Take care, and bring him back in one piece, okay, Gina?"

She laughed. "You bet, Michael!"

"Where are we going, Gi? Do I need to dress up?"

The look she gave him needed no words. She took his hand and led him into the back of the car. "We're going home," she said to the driver. He nodded, put the car in gear, and closed himself off from the couple as he navigated through after-work DC traffic jams to take them to her apartment. By the time the driver left them off, they already had some quality time together, but Sam felt like a man dying of thirst, and Gina was the water that could bring him back to life.

The elevator ride seemed to take forever, and Gina silently chided herself for renting the penthouse. As the car emptied out its occupants, Sam became bolder with his kisses and caresses in the back corner. It was all she could do to keep him in line. When they were behind the closed doors of her apartment, then they were free to express how much they'd missed each other. She knew they should have spent time talking about their future, but they'd conversed so much over the past few weeks, it was time to just be together.

The next morning, Michael wasn't sure if Sam would show up for the debriefing. He never came back to the hotel, and his suitcase still lay on the bed. He waited as long as he could for him and left several voice mail messages, but still Sam did not appear. With a heavy sigh, Michael grabbed a cab and headed to the CIA headquarters. The wind kicked up some dry leaves as he got out and paid the driver, and the cold breeze hit him in the face.

"Morning, Mike!" Sam stood near the building entrance with two insulated cups of coffee in his gloved hands. "A bit chilly out here, isn't it?"

Michael looked him up and down, not sure if this was the guy he knew. From head to toe, Sam looked more like Charles Finley mashed up with a GQ cover. His hair was cut, styled, and colored to get rid of most of the gray, and he wore stylish designer shoes. He was covered with a long gray wool coat, a dark suit, and a light blue shirt and dark blue tie peeked out between the lapels. He even shaved for the occasion.

"Wow, Sam. You cleaned up."

He laughed. "It was Gina's idea. I would have gone back to the hotel and changed into something I brought, but she insisted that if I'm doing business in DC, I should dress the part, so we went shopping yesterday."

"How does it feel?"

"It's okay, but you know I did it for her. If working for the CIA means I'd have to dress like this all the time, I'll pass."

Michael hid a smile. "Would it help if I said it looked good on you?"

"Not really," he replied with a chuckle, and he handed Michael the coffee. "Come on, let's get it over with. I'm meeting Gina at the FBI after lunch."

After the debriefing, the two men stood outside the building. The sun shone down, warming them, although it was nothing like Miami. Michael searched for something to say. He was going back to Miami to finish out the next two months and he would be done with the CIA. He'd given them the official notice at the debriefing. Needless to say they were disappointed, but not surprised. As far as spies were concerned, Michael lasted a lot longer than most. His dedication to getting back in their good graces was commendable. But everyone knew it wasn't the same, and developing a real life put a damper on his relationship with the agency. Quitting was inevitable.

On the other hand, Michael had no idea what was going through Sam's head. The man had already proven that love had driven him half crazy by chasing after Gina and dressing the way she wanted him to present himself. How long it would last was another question. If he changed for her, Sam would no longer be the same. Michael would still be his friend, but he wouldn't be the man they loved.

"Sam, I'll be checking out of the hotel..."

"Yeah, I know. I'll come with you and get my bag, but then I'm dropping it off at Gina's." He let out a breath and stared at the world from behind his old sunglasses. "Mike, I don't know. I don't know where this is going, if I'll stay in DC, or if I'll even let Gina keep me dressed like this. You know how I feel about suits."

"I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who's unsure about the makeover." The cab stopped at the curb and they got in. Michael gave him the name of the hotel and they rode in silence for a few moments. "What if you come back to Miami? You only have a couple months left until she's done, right?"

"Yeah. I really need to get a clearer picture of all my options before I decide anything," Sam replied. "And think about what I really want."

"Take your time. Otherwise, you'll be second guessing yourself and not enjoying the path you choose."

"I know that." Sam went up to the room with Michael and stayed with him while he checked out. Then they stood at the curb waiting for separate cabs. "One thing you can count on, Mikey. I will come back and see you guys, say proper good-byes if necessary."

"I never doubted that for a moment. Take care, Sam." They hugged briefly, and then Michael was gone.

Sam watched his cab meld into the traffic. "Take care of that family, Mike."

He hadn't planned on staying until Gina's assignment finished, but when he started giving her advice and assistance, it became impossible to leave. Even if he did have to dress up. He became accustomed to it, but he still felt as if he wore someone else's skin until he returned to Gina's apartment and stripped down and put on his old clothes. When he wasn't with her hanging around the Feds, he spent time in more casual clothing scoping out the sights and picking up on the atmosphere of the capitol. At night, when she came home he had dinner waiting if they weren't scheduled to go out with some of her new friends and associates in the agency.

He tightened the bow tie, and for some reason it felt like a noose tonight. Gina's hands whisked down the back of the tailored tuxedo, the material so luxuriously soft that he could feel her touch through it. Her arms worked around his waist and she placed her hands on his chest, pressing herself into him. The sequins on her evening gown poked into his back.

"Is everything okay, Sam?" She perched her chin on his shoulder and looked at him in the mirror. "You're not nervous about tonight, are you?"

"No," he answered with a scowl. "Why should I be?"

"The assignment is almost over. Then I have to decide whether to stay here or go back to Miami and keep doing my job down there." She kissed his earlobe, leaving behind a stain of scarlet, which she wiped away with a tissue as she smiled. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay." He tugged on the bow tie, trying to straighten it, but he only made it worse. He let out a heavy sigh. "I hate these things." With a good tug, the tie unraveled and hung around his neck.

"Here, let me do that." Gina slipped in between his body and the bathroom vanity. Within seconds, she had the tie in order. "There you go. All set."

"Good. Maybe you should wear the tux and I'll..." He looked down at the sexy red dress and blushed. "Then again, maybe not. If I could just go without the tie, I'd be good."

Gina held his face in her hands, forcing him to look into her eyes. Her own held so many emotions. "You're not really happy here, are you?"

"I'm happy. I'm happy with you. Jeez, I've never been happier with any other woman, Gina!"

Her smile widened. "That makes me happy, Sam, because I love you so much. I love my work, too. And right now, I'm having a really hard time trying to figure out if I can have it all."

"I've already figured out that I can't have it all. It's either you and DC, or being alone again in Miami with my friends. There's no middle ground."

"I'm finding myself in a similar situation." She sighed. "Let's talk about this tomorrow."

"Yeah, let's get through tonight first."

The only thing worse than wearing a monkey suit with a bow tie that threatened to choke him was spending an evening schmoozing with a bunch of strangers and old military colleagues whom he would rather have not seen again in this lifetime. He still had enough of a tan that distinguished him from the northerners, so Miami came up in a lot of conversations. It didn't help with his sense of homesickness.

"Let's get out of here," Gina said after finding him tucked away in an alcove alone. "This party is boring me to tears."

"You too, huh?"

"Somehow, I have a feeling that it would be a whole lot more fun if it were in Miami." She laughed, took his hand, and led him to the coat check.

"I can guarantee the music would be a lot more lively."

Finding a cab proved to be difficult. They waited after calling for one a half hour earlier, and checking up on it at least twice. Sam looked down at her feet and noted the high heels. "Can you walk in those? Maybe we should hike to the metro and take it back instead."

"They pinch my feet a little, but I can take it. Let's go."

Sam turned her toward the subway station and they walked side by side with an arm around each other. She felt so good, so right, walking beside him. But he knew he wasn't willing to be unhappy in all the other aspects of his life just so he could have her. Was he being selfish? Would he really be happy in Miami without her? Would he go back to simply existing, helping Mike, and leaving a trail full of failed relationships? He was so wrapped up in his thoughts, lost in confusion, that he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings.

"Sam, you're really out of it tonight," she said. They were only a couple of blocks away from the metro stop.

"Sorry. I'm just trying to think, but everything keeps getting more tangled." He sighed deeply and leaned in to her. "I think I just need some sleep."

"I agree. You've been doing a lot of tossing and turning lately." She squeezed his side.

He kissed her briefly, and when their attention returned to where they were going, three shadowy figures stopped on the sidewalk a few yards ahead of them. Sam knew that neither he nor Gina was armed, but they could take care of themselves even if it was unevenly matched three to two.

"What do you guys want," Sam asked.

"You're those FBI agents investigating our homeboy, Curtis J, aren't you?"

Gina eyed them warily. "Maybe. Why?"

"You can't fool us. We know who you are. And we got a message for you."

Sam's head may have been in the clouds before, but he clearly saw the speaker's hand tense up on the trigger. He struck out and batted the hand away just as the gun fired. He sensed the bullet passing by his sleeve. With a yell, Gina jumped forward and took on one of the others. The third punk stood behind his friends, unsure of what to do. They didn't expect this kind of resistance from two old people. Sam flipped his opponent, sending him careening into the timid one. Sam picked up the hand gun that the leader dropped and held it on them.

"Okay, hand over the other weapon," he said, breathing heavily. "Now."

The gun skipped across the pavement, and he bent to pick it up.

"Sam, look out!"

He turned toward her as the one who fought with Gina pushed her onto the sidewalk with one hand and raised the gun in his other. Two muzzles flashed. Sirens screamed from just a block away. And Gina called his name as Sam fell backwards into the grass. He lay there for a moment, stunned, fighting to breathe again.

"Sam. Sam, are you okay?" Gina's hair hung in tendrils that tickled his cheek as she leaned over him.

"Yeah," he finally managed to respond. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!"

"Good." He gasped. "But... somebody's bleeding."

She glanced down at the back of her forearm. "Oh, that's nothing, just a scratch."

"You know that's gonna cost me extra when I return this tux," he said as he carefully sat up. He watched as the police rounded up the three gang members. Then they suffered through questioning and statements, but at least the cops gave them a ride to the apartment.

The two stood in front of the bathroom mirror. Gina's hair style was askew and tendrils dripped from it haphazardly. A bruise formed on her cheek. With Sam's help she bandaged up the scrape on her arm. "Other than looking beat, you came out of this pretty good," she said to him.

He wrapped his arms around her. "You know, I think statistically, Miami is a safer place to live than DC. Although, if you were to work with Mike and me, it might be more dangerous." He smiled. "But it's certainly a lot more exciting, and you wouldn't have to attend these boring social functions."

She turned out of his grasp and moved toward the bedroom, pulling on the zipper on the back of her dress. He caught up to her and helped. "Thanks."

"Why were we there, anyway?"

"You know, I'm not sure," Gina said as she turned to face him. "My boss just requested that I attend."

"Do you really want to have to do that all the time? When you were in Miami, did you have to go to boring parties because you were ordered to go?"

"No. I went to parties I wanted to attend, charity balls and such. They're still boring, but at least the food was better." She smiled. "But I never had you there." Gina kicked off her shoes as she pulled him down to kiss his lips, and she lost her balance, sending them both onto the bed.

As he lay in the dark, unable to sleep, his unsettled feelings and his dilemma popped into his head. _"Take your time. Otherwise, you'll be second guessing yourself and not enjoying the path you choose."_

_ Hah! I'm already second guessing myself and all it's doing is driving me nuts. No matter what I do, I will never be happy._ He lay on his back, rested the back of his hand over his eyes, and muttered, "I have to do what will make me the least unhappy."

In the morning, he would make his decision.

Gina looked down on his sleeping form. She knew he'd been awake a good portion of the night, even though he was tired. He was letting indecision rule his life, and if he didn't resolve it soon, it would hurt his health. She knew it was her fault. Because of her selfishness, she was making him choose between her and his life in Miami. Maybe it was time for her to decide if losing Sam was worth the promotion she was assured to get, which she learned after speaking with her boss at the party last night. She liked Washington DC, but was it only because he was here every day when she came home, and that he cooked for her? As she drank her coffee, she sat with a piece of paper, writing down the things she loved about Sam. In the next column, she outlined the things she loved about her job in DC.

"Uhoh, I better get going," she muttered as she looked up and saw the clock on the oven. She trotted into the bedroom to get her shoes, saw that Sam was still asleep, and kissed his cheek before leaving.

Sam felt her kiss and smelled her perfume, then it was gone. His mind played a scene and he believed he was home in Miami, but Gina was nowhere around. It wasn't a dream. It wasn't a nightmare. It was just a new reality. When he awoke and found himself alone in her apartment, he was disappointed that things hadn't changed after all, and he had a decision to make.

He called Gina's office and got the receptionist. "I'd like to speak with Gina Caprioni, please. Tell her it's Sam Axe."

"Mr. Axe, she's not in the office right now. I can leave a message."

"No problem, I'll call her cell. Thanks."

He tried her cell and got the voice mail. "Hey babe, it's me. I, uh, just wanted to talk to you about our situation. Can we meet for lunch or something? Please, give me a call back on my cell. Thanks. Love you. Bye."

He waited all morning, but she never returned his call. He found her list, read it, and didn't quite know what to make of it, since he edged out DC by only a handful of points. Taking a chance, he walked to the FBI offices, but he couldn't even get past the front lobby. The best he could do was call and leave another message on her cell phone.

As he drank a cup of coffee at the breakfast table in the small kitchen, he studied her list again. It was nice and flattering, but in the end, it appeared that the perks of the city and her position bore far more weight. After all, if he really meant that much to her, wouldn't she at least give him a short call to say yes or no regarding lunch? His chest felt heavy when he made made the decision and the call.

"I'd like to change my ticket to a flight out today to Miami, if that's possible."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

From the window he could see the FBI building, and off in the distance, Gina's penthouse apartment. Sam forced himself to stop looking before he did something embarrassing, like break into tears. He closed his eyes, leaned back into his seat, and when the drink cart came around, he took full advantage of it. During the time he'd been with Gina he'd curbed his drinking, but now, it didn't matter any more. After two, the flight attendant cut him off. Not even the upgrade to business class could get him any better service.

Once he touched down in Miami, Sam longed for a nice tall mojito. None of the bartenders at those fancy pants parties in DC knew how to make a good one, which was probably just as well, or he might have succumbed to homesickness quicker. Even the guys at the Miami Airport could make them. Just one, and then he was as ready as he would ever be to go home. Wherever that was. He called Mike, because maybe he would know.

"Sam, how are you? We haven't heard from you in a couple of weeks!"

"Hey, Mikey. I'm, uh, I'm okay. Can you come and pick me up at the airport?"

"I'll be there, Sam." Michael's tone changed to one of concern. "Just wait, I'll be there."

_I'll be there._ The words almost sent him over the edge. He was wrong to have left his friends behind, because when it came down to it, they were the only ones he could count on. By the time Michael pulled up to the curb in the Charger, Sam was determined to find a way to make it up to them.

"Thanks for coming, Mike." Sam threw his suitcase into the trunk and got into the passenger side.

Michael stared at him. "Are you... have you been drinking, Sam?" In the past, he wouldn't have bothered asking that, but he knew that since Sam had fallen for Gina, he'd cut way back.

"Just a little on the plane... and the airport bar. It's okay, let's go to Carlito's and celebrate my return to good old Miami. I'll buy."

"I don't think so. You're coming home with me."

He'd sobered up a little by the time they arrived at the loft. Michael was glad that, with Fi and Amani around, beer was a rare commodity in their refrigerator. There were a couple bottles way in back, but they were too much trouble to dig out.

Fiona finished changing Amani just as the loft door opened and the two men entered. She smiled at him. "Sam, it's so good to see you!"

"Really, Fi? I remember when you wanted to tear my limbs off." He gave her a sad smile. "It's good to see you too, sister."

"Sam, why don't you put your suitcase in the room over there?" Michael pointed to the makeshift bedroom that Nancy had used when she stayed with them, and he hoped that Sam had forgotten about that.

"Sure." He shuffled inside.

Fiona looked up at Michael with eyes full of shock. "Michael, what is wrong with him?"

"He had a little too much to drink. He'll sleep it off and maybe later he'll talk about why he left DC without Gina."

Her brow furrowed and she watched for him to come out of the room as she spoke softly. "I hope she didn't dump him. She was so nice! I thought they had something!"

"He looked really happy with her, but I don't think he could live in DC. I could tell every time I talked with him on the phone. Miami is home." Michael said as he also waited for Sam to come out of the room. "Maybe she decided living there was better than here."

"But she loved him! How could she choose a job and a place over Sam!"

Michael knew how the mind of a fixated spy worked. He'd been one himself. "Fi, let's drop this until we know what really happened, okay?" He put an arm around her until he felt her settle down. Amani crawled over to them and pulled on Michael's pant leg. He picked him up and snuggled him close. "If he's suffering from a broken heart, I don't know what to do to help him, Fi."

"Think about what it was like when I turned myself in to the FBI and how you felt."

"I thought I had nothing without you. I wasn't sure I could go on." It still hurt to remember that time.

"No doubt, if she rejected him, that's how he's feeling right now." She took a step out of Michael's grip.

"Where are you going?"

"To talk to him, Michael. Or just give him a listening ear. Whichever."

A part of him felt uneasy about her taking action, but if it worked, they could all sleep a little better that night. Amani wriggled in his grasp. "What, you wanna get down again? Come on, let's go play." He took Amani to the field of toys on the floor near the bed, all the while keeping an ear cocked to what was happening in the bedroom.

Fiona stopped at the opening and knocked gently on the wooden frame of the room divider. "Sam?"

His eyes were wide as his head snapped up from his phone. Even upside down, she could see that he'd been studying photographs of Gina. "Fi!" He hid the phone from her sight. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here, remember?" She smiled as she braved a step into the room.

"Oh, yeah, that's right. Why... why am I here?" He let out a sigh.

"It's better for you to be with friends right now. Would you like something to eat? It might make you feel better."

"No. I'm tired. I just wanna sleep." He kicked off his shoes, not caring where they stopped. He unbuttoned his hawaiian shirt, and when it was open, he fingered the material. "In DC, I couldn't wear these. They made me look like a lost tourist." He glanced up at Fiona. "I left all those suits behind. It just wasn't me."

"We know that." Fiona sat next to him on the bed, slowly put an arm around him, and let him lean into her embrace. "Maybe she couldn't love you for who you are, but you know we do. Always."

He dropped his head into his hands, and she could have kicked herself for upsetting him. Her own eyes watered at the pain he must be feeling. Suddenly he sniffled, pulled away, and said, "You better go, Fi. I'll be fine. Really. I just wanna be alone and sleep for awhile."

"Okay, Sam. But you know we're here if you want to talk." She patted his back and let him go, then stood and moved to the door. She took one last look at him. He ignored her and resumed undressing with his back to the door. She hurried out and went back to the kitchen to make supper.

Despite the sounds from the club downstairs, Fiona and Michael heard Sam's restless thrashing in the other room. "Michael," Fiona whispered.

"Yes, Fi," he muttered in reply.

"I'm really worried about him," she spoke softly. "I've never seen him so unsettled before. I'm afraid this broken heart is killing him."

"Oh Fi, don't be ridiculous." Michael rolled to his side and pulled her up against him. "He'll get over it, it's just going to take some time."

"This isn't just some cheap fling! I think he really believed that Gina was the one." She let out an angry sounding breath. "I wonder if that tramp even knows how much she's hurt him! Tomorrow I'm going to call her and give her a piece of my mind!"

He laid a hand on her shoulder. "Fi, no, don't get into the middle of it."

"It's too late, Michael. Like it or not, we are in the middle of it! He came here for help, and that's what we'll give him." _Even if I have to go to DC myself and kick some sense into her!_

He didn't have the heart to tell Fiona that he only brought Sam to their place because he didn't think it was wise for him to go to Gina's house, not in his state. Tomorrow, he would go with him and together they would clear out his stuff. Then they would find a new place for him to live and try to start over again.

* * *

Sam's head pounded when he awoke the next morning. He wasn't sure where he was, just that it didn't smell like Gina's apartment. Then he remembered that he was in Miami. The birdsongs that were conspicuously absent at this time of year in DC were in full chorus outside. He heard someone moving around. Fiona.

"Michael, I'll be back in a little while. I'm taking Amani for a walk."

"Okay, Fi."

The sound of their voices lifted his soul, if only a little bit. He remembered the night before, how he nearly lost it in front of Fi. He couldn't let that happen again. Slowly, Sam got himself out of bed. He was still in his boxers. He threw on a t-shirt and went out to see if Mike was still there, but the loft appeared to be empty, and no one was on the balcony. He noted with amusement that someone had jury-rigged some plastic webbing around the railing to keep Amani from crawling off and hurting himself. The fridge was full of food, lots of healthy stuff, but way in back he saw a few bottles of his favorite beer. He would never know until he tried it if it was still good, but right now, he really didn't care. He just needed something to take the edge off of his headache.

It almost wasn't worth going past the things in front of them, so he pulled out all three to save himself the trouble and repositioned them along the side. He kept one out and twisted off the cap. The first swallow was a bit off, but he had no doubt after he'd gotten used to it, the rest wouldn't be so bad.

"Sam?"

"Morning, Mikey!" He raised the bottle as he approached him.

"What the hell are you doing," Michael blurted as he met Sam half way across the loft, grabbed the bottle out of his hand and kept going until he reached the sink. "If you're staying in our house, you are not, I repeat, not, drinking your troubles away." He dumped the beer down the sink and turned back to him. "You know it's not going to work. Look at how many years you tried doing that after you were kicked out of the Navy. Let's face it, until you met Gina, you were still trying... and failing!"

Michael left Sam speechless, because he knew his friend was right. Finally, he spoke with an emotion choked voice. "I just want the pain to go away."

"Well, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to gut it out. And we'll start by going over to Gina's and getting your stuff. And when you leave, the key stays."

Sam wasn't used to his friend using such tough love tactics. No matter how his heart felt, his aching head knew that Michael was a voice of reason when he needed it the most. "I'll get dressed and we can go."

"Good."

Michael trailed behind Sam as he covered every inch of Gina's house looking for his things. There were some items that they'd bought as a couple, but after picking them up and considering them a moment, he put them back. In the end, all he had were his clothes. "All my other stuff is in storage," he explained.

While the two packed up Sam's things, Fiona took Amani for a walk, but she had other things on her mind. She called Gina's phone and was pleased when she answered.

"This is Gina."

"Gina, it's Fiona." She wanted to tear into her immediately, but she controlled herself.

"Fiona! Where's Sam? Is he in Miami? I've been trying to call him constantly, but he doesn't answer his phone!"

"Yes, he's here in Miami." She didn't expect to hear the frantic tone in Gina's voice. "He flew back yesterday, and for the time being, he's staying with us until he can find his own place."

"I see. So he's decided it's over, that he doesn't love me after all?"

Fiona let out a short sound. "Gina, he loves you so much it hurts! Michael picked him up from the airport, and when he brought Sam home, I was shocked. I've never seen him so emotionally beaten."

"I knew he wouldn't be happy here. I wanted to talk to him after work yesterday, but he was already gone. Believe me, Fiona, if I could, I would be on a plane right now to go down there and talk to him. But I can't! I'm just a couple of days from wrapping up this case, and when it's done, I'm done." She paused. "I'm quitting the bureau. Sam is more important to me than this stupid job, and..." She broke off, and there was silence.

"Gina?"

"Sorry, Fiona." Gina's voice cracked. "I love him so much, and I'd been dragging my heels about making a decision because I'd gotten so comfortable here with him. I was so busy with work, I wasn't paying attention to how he felt about this."

Gina's confession reminded her of Michael when he was bull-headed about trying to find out who burned him, to the detriment of his friends, family, and Fiona. She understood where Gina was coming from. "I really thought that you cared more for your work than Sam. Apparently, he thought the same."

"I figured that," Gina said once she'd gotten herself under control. She sniffled. "He left me a voice mail saying he wanted to discuss this at lunch, but I couldn't answer him at the time. I was in the middle of a really hairy moment." She paused. "Fiona, I could have been killed. And then Sam never would have known how I really felt... feel."

"Do you want me to relay a message to him?"

"No, I need to tell him myself. I promise, after tomorrow's meeting is over and I get through the debrief, I'll be on the next plane to Miami. Even if I have to charter one!" She sniffled again. "Please, don't tell him anything. Don't let him know that I even talked to you, because I don't want him to get any wrong ideas. There's already too much of a misunderstanding going on here."

"Okay," Fiona answered with a smile. "We'll be waiting for your return."

"Thank you, Fiona."

* * *

Maddie offered to take Sam in, and Mike and Fi gave him use of the bedroom for as long as he needed it, but he was determined to move out on his own as quickly as possible. With regular gigs working with Michael, he had enough money to live comfortably, but not in style. He was okay with that, because he was in survival mode and the only important thing was making it through another day alone.

"Sam, please, stay another day," Fiona said after supper. "Just stay for a couple of days."

"Why? What difference will it make?"

Michael glanced at her, and she knew he wondered why she was so adamant. But she promised Gina she wouldn't tell anyone, not even her own husband. "You need to be with friends right now."

"I'm starting to feel better, Fi. Really."

"It would make me feel better, knowing you're here and not holed up in a bar somewhere."

Sam sat up straight in his chair and his eyes locked onto her. "Trust me, I'm not going down that road again. Mike was right, drowning my sorrows in booze is not the answer." He blinked. "I don't know what is, not yet, but maybe in time it'll come to me. Until then, I'll just figure it out as I go along." He sighed and pushed back his chair. "I'm going for a walk."

"Want me to come along," Michael asked as he studied Sam intently.

"No. Thanks, Mike. I just need some fresh air." Sam walked silently to the door and they watched him leave.

"Other than going to Gina's, that's the first he's been out all day."

"I know, Fi. He probably just needs some time alone to... to grieve." The ache he felt for his friend couldn't come close to what Sam was feeling.

"Michael, please. Go with him. You're his best friend. If he can't talk to you..." She trailed off, because Michael had already left the loft. She heard his footsteps running down the stairs, followed by his voice calling for Sam to wait up.

The sun was setting as Sam wandered the streets. He had no aim of where to go, kind of like his life. As tempting as it was to find something to drink, all he had to do was think about how he felt that morning when he awoke and realize that the momentary numbness was not worth the aftermath. Having Mike fall into step beside him made it an even less likely scenario.

"Mike, thanks. Thanks for you and Fi being a couple of true life savers over the past few days." He shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked and studied the pavement. "I know I just need to get back to what I was doing before, working with you guys. That seemed to turn me around the last time I felt like crap. But at night, when I'm all alone... I hate being alone."

"Don't resort to cheap relationships, Sam."

"After Gina, I don't think anything else could be as good. She was the gold standard." He stopped and leaned against the railing along the river. "You know what I'm talking about, Mike. You and Fi are like that. You'd never find another one like her."

"When I thought I lost her, you remember what I was like. You're going through the same thing right now."

"I know! But at least you got her back. Gina's gone, it's over and done with, and there's no hope of her taking her eyes off that job. That's what she wants, not me."

Michael turned and stared at his friend. A crease of misery burned into his forehead and his eyes squinted down to hide his emotions. "Maybe you need to try. Figure out a way to get her attention and then go for it. Win her back and let her know that you'll never settle for anything less than her."

"What are you saying? I should ask her to marry me?"

"Sure, why not? It worked for me." Michael grinned. "I don't know a whole lot about this stuff, but it seems to me that you wouldn't be happy with any other arrangement."

"Mike, I already went that route..."

"That was different. Did you love Amanda like you love Gina?"

Sam had to think about that for a few seconds, because it was so long ago. "We were practically kids. I don't even remember how I felt about her. It was probably just raging hormones or something, you know?" He paused. "Comparing the two relationships is... it's ridiculous, Mike. With Gina I felt complete."

"Then there's your answer, Sam. You need her, and I bet if you open up and tell her how you feel, you'll be surprised." He rubbed a hand over his face. "Oh man, I think I just sounded like Fi there!"

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, that definitely sounded like something Fi would say." He sobered again. "I'm gonna have to think about this. And maybe I'll get Fi's input. I asked her for help with my lady friend issues before, and she was usually right on target." He turned and faced Michael. "Maybe this time she can help me create a miracle, 'cause right now, that's what I feel like it's going to take."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Fiona noted that after his walk with Michael, Sam seemed more relaxed. He slept peacefully and awoke in a good mood. Meanwhile, she walked around on pins and needles because today was the day that Gina said she would be back in Miami. She didn't like keeping that news from Sam, and a couple of times she almost said something, but she sensed that Gina's arrival needed to be on her terms.

"Fi, Sam and I have to go out for awhile. We'll see you this afternoon, maybe sooner."

"Yeah, it depends on how things go."

Fiona raised an eyebrow. "What on earth are you two up to?"

They looked at each other, then back at her with slightly guilty expressions. "It's... it's something we can't talk about right now. But later, later we'll let you know all about it."

"Yeah. Later, Fi." Sam hurried out the door with Michael right behind him. Not knowing what to make of their strange behavior, she shook her head, and then set about cleaning the loft.

She felt a little strange about going into Sam's room while he wasn't there. But when she entered, she found it was kept in good order. She also found his phone tucked into his open suitcase, the ringer off, and a message on the screen that he had several missed calls and unheard voice mails. _What is the matter with him? Why won't he let her talk and air all this out? Men! So stubborn! _She put the phone back where she found it and finished her tasks. As she prepared lunch for Amani, she heard a knock on the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's Dani."

Fiona opened the door. "This is a surprise! Michael's not here right now." She eyed Agent Pearce warily, not sure what the woman's motives were. She rarely got involved in her colleagues' personal lives unless it interfered with CIA business.

Pearce knew that Fiona was questioning her visiting the loft, so she resolved to get right to the subject as she let her inside. Then she saw Amani sitting in the high chair banging a spoon on the tray, waiting for his lunch. The sight made her smile widen. "Fiona, he's getting cuter all the time!"

"I know." Fiona replied as she passed her and brought a small bowl to the little boy. "Michael and I just adore him. You should see him, he's like a totally different person when he's with Amani." She looked up at Pearce and added, "We can't wait to get all this adoption stuff out of the way!"

"That's why I'm here," Pearce announced and her smile faded. "I'm afraid it's not going to be as easy as we thought."

"Why not? Didn't his identity get changed?"

"Yes, but he is still legally an orphan, and officially a citizen of Nigeria where he was born. Somehow, someone in their consulate got wind of this situation, and they contacted Amani's relatives back home. They want to take him in and raise him as their own."

A bullet between the eyes wouldn't have been half as effective at stunning Fiona. The color drained from her face, and she suddenly felt lightheaded. "You can't be serious. He doesn't belong with them. He's been with us for so long now! We're his family!"

"I'm sorry, Fiona. Mr. Ungara, the ambassador for Nigeria here in Miami, has been pressuring our government to hand over Amani. I've been asked to step in and assist." She paused, knowing that nothing she might say could soften the blow. "I'm sorry. I really don't want to do this." She took a step forward.

Fiona got out of her chair and blocked the high chair. "You can't just take him, now, without Michael getting a chance to say goodbye!"

"I wasn't planning on taking him today." Pearce said as she backed off again. "But I will have to come back for him, and soon. I've been given two days to turn Amani over to the Nigerian embassy."

"And if you don't?" Fiona raised her chin defiantly.

"It won't be pretty. Law enforcement will have to get involved, and I know you don't want to run the risk of winding up in jail again. Yes, it could come to that if a judge signs the order, which he's expected to this afternoon, and if you defy it you'll be in contempt of court."

Fiona's chin lowered. She didn't want to wind up in prison again, especially with a child of her own on the way. Yet she turned from Pearce to clean up Amani and let him crawl around on the floor.

"I know you have feelings for him, Fiona, but just think. You have one of your own coming soon, and..."

Fiona whirled on her and stabbed her index finger in the air at the other woman. "Don't you even say it! Don't even think that I could just let him go without batting an eyelash just because I have 'one of my own' on the way! Maybe you can throw away love like that, but not me." Her iron glare didn't let up as she said, "You better leave, Agent Pearce, and don't come back until you've got that court order."

"Alright, have it your way. Just don't say I didn't warn you."

As soon as Pearce let the door slam behind her, Fiona was on the phone. "Michael! Pearce was here, and she says that she's coming back this afternoon with a court order to give her Amani."

"What? Fi, what are you talking about? Why would she want Amani?"

"She doesn't want him! Some shirt-tail relatives from Nigeria want to raise him, and they've got the embassy and the court system involved." She paused to take a breath, or she would pass out from the lack of air. "Michael, you've got to do something!"

"What can I do? If there are blood relatives and the law is siding with them, it's out of our hands."

"The whole thing smells fishy to me. Right when the paperwork was almost approved, this happens." She wanted to scream, throw the phone, or blow up the Nigerian embassy, and not necessarily in that order. "Please come home, now! Just in case they decide to steal him away before... before you have a chance to say goodbye."

She heard Michael speaking and Sam said something. Finally, he returned to the phone. "Okay, we'll be there in a little while. Just hold on, and don't let anybody in until we get there. Got it?"

"If anyone tries to get in, I'll shoot 'em."

"Now, Fi, don't make..." She'd already hung up.

Until Michael returned, Fiona paced the floor, picked up Amani, and paced some more. She heard a car door down below, but only one. Not sure who it could be, she put Amani in his crib and picked up an assault rifle. Amani cried for her.

"Shh, Ami, I promise, I won't let them take you until we've exhausted every option."

Someone knocked. Fiona placed a kiss on his forehead and whispered, "It's okay, honey. You just quiet down. Mommy will be right back." She smiled at him, and he settled down, reached out and touched her nose, and she kissed his hand. "I promise, I'll be right back."

The caller knocked again. Fiona backed up against the door frame and spoke loud enough to be heard through the door. "If you're here to take Amani away, you better have all your papers in order and a lot of patience. He's staying until my husband gets back!"

"Fiona, it's me, Gina."

"Gina?" She rushed over to the window and looked down into the courtyard to see her Cadillac parked there. She let out a deep breath and hurried back to unlock the door. The confused woman looked at her, but she didn't give her a chance to say anything else. "Come on in! Care for something to drink? Some yogurt?" She pulled on Gina's arm and yanked her inside before closing the door and locking it.

"Thanks for the offer, but no. I just got back to town, and I went home and found that Sam moved out. And he left his car in the driveway, the car I gave him." She lowered her head, shook it, and said, "I really should have known he'd move out, but I was hoping maybe he'd stay because he had no better place to settle for the time being."

"He's been staying with us. Michael and I felt it wasn't good for him to be alone." The edge on Fiona's voice softened. "I wish you only knew how much he's hurting right now! The past couple of days haven't helped any."

"I know. He won't take my calls or reply to my messages. I don't blame him." Her gaze locked onto Fiona's. "I wish I knew what I could do to make it up to him."

"You'll have to talk to him about that. Which you'll be able to do in a little while, because Michael and Sam are on their way."

"What's going on, Fiona? What were you talking about regarding some papers?"

Fiona quickly explained the situation with the Nigerian relatives wanting Amani. As she finished, another knock sounded on the door. Fiona turned toward the door, afraid to answer it, yet hoping it was Michael. Gina touched her arm and stopped her. "Do you have a spare gun around here?"

Fiona tipped up the corners of her mouth. "Are you serious?" She turned on her heel, went to a cabinet, and pulled out another assault rifle. "Is this enough firepower for you?"

Gina chuckled as she took the gun and loaded it. "It'll do."

The pounding became more insistent. Fiona approached the door and asked, "Who is it?"

"I am Mr. Ungara. I am here to pick up the child."

"The child? What child?" She stalled for time, playing dumb.

"The boy, Amani. If you do not turn him over to me immediately, there will be legal consequences, Mrs. Westen."

"Fiona, try to stall them. I'll see if I can get Amani out of here without anyone seeing me." She turned away from the door and crossed the loft to the balcony. As she passed Amani's crib, a shadow crossed the threshold, and she looked up at a large black man who grinned at her, but not in a friendly way. "Fiona!" The man stepped into the room and lunged at her weapon, but she turned it on him as she backed up and shielded Amani.

"Stop where you are!" Fiona held up her weapon and aimed at him. "One more step, and you're dead."

One of his feet moved forward, and Fiona had a clear shot. She fired, hitting him in the chest, and he went down. Something banged against the steel door, but the lock wouldn't budge. She turned and waited for the invaders to come in, while Gina picked up a screaming Amani and wrapped him in one arm while she kept a hold of her weapon with the other. She moved toward the balcony and looked for other invaders before stepping out onto it. She looked down. It was too far to jump, and the balcony wasn't close enough to the river to make a safe leap into the water. Not that diving with a baby would be safe. An explosion rocked the floor, and Gina turned to see the door fly open and a small group of men swarmed inside.

"Gina, don't let them get Amani!" They grabbed Fiona and ripped the gun from her hands. As she kicked and screamed, they overpowered her and tied her up.

She had no choice. Gina dropped the gun, pulled on the plastic webbing attached to the balcony, and grabbed onto several loops. She threw a leg over the rail and as one of the attackers tried to reach her, she slipped over the edge and dropped to the pavement below. Her knee hit hard and her palm felt as if it suffered major friction burn, but now was not the time to worry about it. She needed to get Amani to safety.

"Get her! She's gettin' away wit da babe!"

The accent sounded more Caribbean than Nigerian, but then, she didn't have the world wide experience that Michael, Fiona, and Sam had. All she knew was that her instincts told her these men weren't who they fooled the courts into believing they were. She said a silent prayer for Fiona's safety as she ran with Amani along the river. It had been awhile since she ran in heels, but there was no way she was letting them hurt this sweet little boy. She cut right through a lot choked by brush, shielding Amani from the sharp branches and burrs.

_They're following me._ She knew it by the sound of the brush moving behind her. Then she heard voices. She stopped and listened, holding her breath even though it made her lungs ache. She couldn't understand the language. The brush moved again, but the sound trailed off, as if her pursuer gave up and moved back to the riverfront. Gina snuggled Amani closer and continued through the brush until she came upon the street. She recognized it as the way to Michael's loft. _We're not safe here. Any minute now they'll drive along here and see us!_

"Gina!" Her head swung around to the left, and she saw the Charger screech to a halt in front of her. Michael called to her. "Come on, get in!"

"Where's Sam?" She got into the passenger side and slammed the door.

"He was in his car ahead of me."

"No!" Gina's eyes widened. "Those men are at the loft, and they captured Fiona!" Michael put on the gas, and she said, "I don't think they were from Nigeria looking to pick up Amani. There were six of them, but I think I incapacitated one. Two others tried chasing me. So we're up against three, maybe."

Michael didn't respond. They arrived at the loft and found Sam's car parked at the curb. He got out and said, "You better stay here with Amani." He tossed her his phone. "And call the cops, the FBI, whatever. We need tactical support!" He readied his gun and moved carefully toward the courtyard entrance. Two vehicles blocked Gina's Cadillac inside. He heard screaming trickling down from the open window and the sound of things breaking. The loft door was wide open. Gunshots rang out, and he took the stairs two at a time to reach the top, where he drew his weapon and entered the loft.

Smoke hung thick in the air from the gunfight. The floor was slick with blood, and from a cursory glance, Michael counted four bodies, and at least one was dead. He heard crying.

"Fi. Fi, where are you?"

He moved through the loft quickly, passing by the downed men. Two for sure were dead, and a third near the balcony. He passed the bar and found Sam behind it.

"Mike! I wasn't sure that was you." He stood slowly.

"You okay, Sam?"

"Yeah. I didn't get shot. Fi's over there," he pointed toward his room. "I came up the balcony and they had just dragged her in there. She put up one heck of a fight." He followed Michael as he hurried to the room.

"When I came in, there were two guys coming out of here..." His voice trailed off as he looked down at the bed and saw Fiona lying on it, not moving. His breath sucked in as he moved into the room. Sam kept watch at the door.

"Fi. Fi, are you okay?" He untied the bindings and felt for a pulse at her wrist. He was relieved to find it strongly throbbing. "Fi, come on, wake up. Let me know you're okay."

He heard a gunshot and his head whipped up to the doorway. Sam wasn't there. He heard two more shots in quick succession, coming from two different weapons.

"Michael?"

"Yeah, I'm here, Fi. Are you okay?" He caressed her cheek while looking up, hoping to see Sam come back.

"Those men... Michael, two of them... they were..."

"Shh, I know." He recognized them even as they lay in their own blood. They were the men who watched the flames engulfing Mick's house. "Can you get up?"

"I think so. They didn't hurt me. Just cut off the circulation a little." She paused. "If you hadn't gotten here in time, I don't know what they would have done."

"I don't even want to think about it."

Fiona sat on the edge of the bed. "Where's Amani?"

"Gina's with him in the Charger. I just wish I knew where Sam was." He helped Fiona stand, but he waited until she was sure on her feet before they went anywhere. Then he put his arm around her and led her out of the room. "I'm afraid we've got a housekeeping nightmare out here."

"As long as we're all okay."

He led Fiona to the loft entrance and down the stairs. Police cars arrived with sirens blaring, too late to the party. They arrived at the bottom of the stairs and stepped aside to let them go up to take care of loose ends. Sam stood next to the Charger with Gina. His arms were around her, with Amani sandwiched between them until a paramedic took him to an ambulance to check him over for injuries. Then the couple pressed their bodies into each other as if they never wanted to let go.

"Hmm."

Fiona said, "Nothing like a good life and death situation to get the blood pumping and the emotions raging."

"If you say so." He couldn't take his eyes off them. He watched in fascination as Gina said something to Sam, he nodded, and kissed her. He wouldn't recommend a bloody firefight to bring a couple together, but in this case something obviously happened to reignite the spark. Or at least bring it out of hiding.

"Amani's okay," Fiona reported with a smile as she stepped up to Michael. "I'm okay too, but they recommended that I go see my doctor, just to be sure."

"We've got an appointment in a couple days, don't we?"

Fiona smiled and her eyes lit up. "Our first ultrasound. Maybe I can bump it up a day, due to the circumstances."

He turned to her, put an arm around her and another around Amani and her shoulder. "That would be great. I'm not sure I'll be able to rest until I know that nothing happened to you or the baby."

"One of them hit me and knocked me out." She turned her head and he could see the blossoming bruise. "So I'll have to get checked out for that too. But I'll be alright. I just know it." Her gaze roved to the scene near the car. "I think everything's okay with them, too."

"Looks like they're patching things up." Michael's smile grew. "Just wait until she sees what Sam bought her. It's not big and fancy, but she'll know he's serious."

"An engagement ring?" Fiona's eyes widened. "Is that what your 'mission' was today, to go ring shopping?"

Michael nodded, a guilty look on his face. "That was it. Sam figured that the only way he would get Gina's attention and prove to her that he was serious about her was to pop the question. But he needed help with the ring. He thought that, since I picked out yours, I could help him."

"Michael," Fiona gasped. "He could have asked me for help!"

"He could have, but he didn't. Sorry, Fi." He glanced toward the Charger, but they were gone. He scanned the scene and found them talking with a detective. "The important thing is that she says 'yes'."

"He has to ask first, and it doesn't look like he did."

He glanced at her. "Fi, I think you're the only one who would find it romantic to receive a proposal at a crime scene."

"I would not! I expect he'll take her someplace nice tonight and to it right!"

"Don't worry, Sam's got it all worked out. Now, we better see if we can get some of our stuff, because we won't be spending the night here."

"What about..." She didn't finish, because she knew that if things worked out between Gina and Sam, he wouldn't be staying with them anymore.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

As soon as Fiona and Amani were settled in at his mother's for the night, Michael grabbed his keys and headed for the garage.

"Michael, where are you going," Maddie asked as she followed him to the back door. "Fiona needs you right now. So does Amani."

"Ma, they're fine. They're sleeping!"

"Like you should be. Your family went through hell today, and you're driving off to where?"

"I'm going to the office." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Ma, I can't sleep until I take care of something. We might still be in danger of losing Amani. I need to know the truth."

Maddie nodded. "Okay, just hurry back."

"I will." Michael thought about what he would say when he saw Pearce, but everything he thought of seemed so inadequate to express his anger.

He knew she would be there. Although, she didn't expect to see him. "Michael, you've had quite the busy day."

"What were you thinking? You led a bunch of gangsters to my home to kidnap Amani!"

"I didn't lead them there. I don't know how they found your address, but they did."

"You covered for them, telling Fi that they were Nigerians..."

Pearce held up a hand to stop him from raging. With a calm voice, she responded. "Michael, I really did get a phone call from the real Nigerian ambassador regarding Amani. But he was duped as well. Those men were not related to Michael Benwije's family. Somehow they convinced the Nigerian government that they were legit, and so the court and the ambassadors and everyone went along with it. Apparently they were quite convincing, because the judge had ordered that Amani be remanded to their custody."

"So there isn't a real claim on him?"

Pearce shook her head. "No, thank God. If I were you, I'd hire a lawyer and have the adoption expedited, and if you already have one working this case, light a fire under him to get it finalized or hire a different lawyer."

"Thanks."

"I'm sorry, Michael. I should have looked into it, but like I said, they made a very good case that they were legit."

His anger dissipated, Michael nodded. "I'll tell Fiona, and hopefully she'll forgive you."

He returned home exhausted. The house was quiet and dark except for a dim light in the dining room. Michael stealthily tiptoed into the guest room and slipped into bed, and he curled up against Fiona without her stirring. Then he realized how much the day affected her, and he silently hoped that this was the end, and that there would be no more wrinkles for their adoption and for their family.

* * *

Gina's car was blocked in, and the police weren't moving the other cars for awhile, so Sam drove them back to her house. He held her hand, enjoying its softness even as he wondered how long it would last. When would she get tired of him and long for the excitement of the bureau? He decided that he would take advantage every moment and accept every bit of love and affection she gave until that day came. Maybe the ring in his pocket would change things. He started second guessing himself. She was a well-to-do woman and he knew she had jewelry with diamond chips that were bigger than the largest stone on the ring he chose. If he presented it to her and she laughed, or looked at it with anything less than delight, he would be at a loss of what to do. If he wasn't good enough for her, once he asked and she said 'no', it would hurt. But at least there was an ending to it, instead of the ongoing uncertainty.

"Sam, you look like you're really off somewhere."

"No, I'm just driving. See, we're here now," he answered as he turned into the driveway. He parked next to the Cadillac he used to drive and briefly wondered if he ever would again. He got out and so did she before he could come around. She led him to the door, unlocked it, and let him inside.

"Are you hungry?"

"Sort of."

"I'd say we could go out somewhere, but... you don't have anything to wear here, except for the things I brought back from DC." She smiled as she led him to the bedroom where the suitcases and suit bags lay on the bed. "I also found this after you were gone," she said, and unzipped one of the cases. She pulled out a neatly folded shirt. "It somehow wound up on my side of the closet."

Sam gaped at it as he picked it from her hands and ran the material through his fingers. "I wondered what happened to this one. It's one of my favorites."

"It's one of my favorites too." Gina's smile slowly turned into a grin. "It's a little big, but it looks good on me."

"How do you know?"

"When I wasn't at work, I wore it around the apartment after you left."

Sam couldn't help himself. He laughed. "Now that I'd like to see!"

Gina raised an eyebrow, snatched the shirt from his grip, and slipped out of her suit jacket. "Well, this thing is toast." She tossed aside the ripped garment and concentrate on taking off her blouse. She wasn't used to someone watching, especially when it was the man she loved. Yet somehow she managed and put on the shirt. With the buttons done, she shrugged into the wide shoulders that drooped down over her arms, which she spread wide. "See? It's a little big."

"It does look good on you." He approached her with his eyes locked on hers, wrapped his arms around her waist, and added, "Yeah, it even feels good on you. I know where we can get one in your size."

"Maybe we can find a new shirt that looks good on both of us and we can match?" She let out a short laugh.

"Hmmm, that might require some sort of commitment."

Gina worked her hands up his arms and around his shoulders, one hand curving around the back of his head as she replied, "I'd love to be committed to you forever."

When he came up for air from their kiss, he asked, "Were you trying to propose to me?"

"No, just answering your challenge."

"Ah, so that's how I have to do this." His hand dove into his pocket. "I was going to save this for a more... romantic... venue, but it seems like as good a time as any." He cradled the box in his hand and released her long enough to get it open. "Gina, would you... I mean, I dare you to say that you'll marry me, and that you'll quit the bureau so you and I can work with Mike. So, what do you say?"

"I say I always dreamed of the more romantic method." Seeing his reaction, she quickly said, "But it doesn't matter when it's you doing the asking. I've already quit the bureau, so that part is done."

"What? You have?"

"Yes. Right before I left DC, I resigned. I couldn't work for them anymore. I wanted to spend my time working with you, and spending my life with you. That wasn't going to happen in DC, or here, if I stayed with the bureau."

"You gave it up for me?" He studied her, expecting to hear her come up with a scenario that would allow her to have everything she wanted.

"Really, sweetheart, it wasn't that big of a sacrifice. I didn't like where my career was going." She returned to his arms. "This is where I want to be. Forever."

He covered her mouth with his, kissing her deeply. When he finished, he pulled back a little, and with a cocky smile, asked, "Can I put that ring on you now?"

She laughed, and the soft lilt was like music to his ears. "Go right ahead." She held out her hand for him to slide it on her finger. It fit perfectly, and it was understated but beautiful. "Looks good there." Her eyes slid up to his. "I still want to get matching shirts."

"Maybe tomorrow. Right now, I'm beat. It's been a long day."

"I know." She pulled the suitcase off the bed. "I'm sorry, Sam, that I didn't take into consideration how you felt about my career move."

"Well, it's not like you and I had ever talked about what we wanted as far as our relationship was concerned." Sam helped to clear the bed. "Did you even have a clue as to how much I wanted to be with you forever?"

"I did, but I made a stupid mistake, and for that I'm sorry. It won't happen again. Just make sure you tell me how you feel, and I think we'll make some major progress." The last bag fell on the floor, and they stood on opposite sides of the bed.

"I agree. Right now, I feel like I want to just crash on this bed with you, get a good night's sleep, and then we can start a new phase of our lives tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

The loft was cleared for occupation in a couple of days. In that time, Gina and Sam made arrangements to get married. Theirs would be a very short engagement. As soon as the license was ready, the Westens found themselves in Gina's back yard for a simple, yet stylish, wedding celebration. The bride wore a peach patterned dress that matched Sam's hawaiian shirt. Michael and Naomi, a friend of Gina's, wore a tan suit and dress respectively.

"Hey, bro, did you notice something that was distinctly missing from this whole thing," Nate asked Michael as he stood with his brother, Sam and Jesse in a tight circle, drinking and nibbling at the appetizers at the long table under a light canopy.

"No. It's a really nice party. The ceremony wasn't so bad either." Michael replied and gave Sam a wink. He looked at Nate with a puzzled expression.

"Sneaky guy, he skipped the bachelor party part of this tradition," Nate declared as he gave Sam a sly smile. "Can't blame ya, Sam. Who knows what Michael would have come up with, just to even things out after the pirate incident!"

Sam shook his head. "That had nothing to do with it. It was whatever we could put together in just a few days. We'd already wasted so much time being stupid, we didn't want to waste any more."

Jesse asked, "Where are you guys going for a honeymoon?"

"We're not. We decided to just stay here and maybe take the boat somewhere if we want to get away. But we're not answering our phones unless it's important, so don't even bother trying to call." His gaze fell on Michael. "Got it?"

"Like any of you bothered me while Fi and I were away. Don't worry, Sam, you'll have peace and quiet for the next week."

"Terrific."

A few days after the wedding, Sam woke up before Gina. He watched her sleep for awhile, a big smile on his face. He realized that they didn't really talk about what had happened, but it wasn't necessary now that he knew she had no intention of continuing her career with the FBI. She wanted to work with him and Mike, and whomever was in the team on an case. Michael's time with the CIA was coming to a close. Everything was falling into place, and he couldn't have been happier. His lips lightly brushed her cheek, but she didn't stir. He decided to get up and start the day.

He fired up the coffee maker and his computer, checking on what may have happened in the world the past few days that he maintained silence. With their line of work, keeping tabs on unrest was a good practice, because he never knew if Michael would be called off to get behind the headlines and take care of things with Fi and himself in tow. Those days were nearly gone, but the habit still hadn't died.

When he scrolled down to the international news, he nearly choked on his coffee. He quickly dialed Michael. "Hey, Mike, did you read the news yet this morning?"

"No, I just got up and Amani's being a handful. Why?" He yawned.

"The leader of Grand Isle was assassinated last night, and guess who they have in custody as a suspect?"

"Sam, it's too early for this..."

"Michael Benwije." Just saying his name made Sam's stomach drop. "Mike, what happened back there? If it's really him, why would Mick fake his own death and kill his family?"

"The people who wanted him to do the job had some pretty tight screws on him, I would guess."

"Mike, this isn't good. I'm thinking that maybe that's what the fake Nigerian goon squad was up to, coming back to get Amani as a down payment to encourage Mick to go through with the assassination. And if that's the case, don't be surprised if they send another crew."

Michael let out a sigh that turned into a groan. "After I get off the phone with you, I'm calling Pearce to see what she knows."

"Okay, let me know if you need me, brother. Phone silence has officially ended."

"Thanks, Sam. He's my friend..."

"Doesn't matter whose friend he is, Mike. The man has a son who needs his dad, and his dad needs to be rescued from these kooks." He paused. "I know you and Fi have gotten really attached to him, but Mike, if Mick doesn't wind up in prison after all this, he has a right to his child."

"I know, Sam. I don't like it, but he is Mick's, and... he belongs with him."

"Okay, just wanted to make sure we had that straight." Sam spoke in a soft, understanding voice. "See what you can find out from Pearce and let me know what the plan is."

"Okay."

Sam got off the phone and heard the soft pad of Gina's feet on the floor. Her hands worked over his back and he leaned into it as she came around and gave him a good morning kiss. "Sammy, what was that all about? I thought we weren't talking to anybody this week."

"Plans have changed. Mike's friend, the one who supposedly died in that explosion with his family, is still alive. According to the news report, he assassinated the leader of Grand Isle."

Gina gaped. "What about the rest of his family?"

"I don't know, but if he got away, maybe they did too."

"Sam, someone's got to do something to save Mick and his family from those people!"

He slipped his arm around her and held her close. "We're already working on it."

"Good. When there's a plan in place, I want to help." She looked at him with determination in her eyes, and he knew there was no way she could stay out of it.

The phone rang, and Sam picked it up. "Yeah, Mike."

"Get dressed. We're meeting at Pearce's office in an hour. We're forming an extraction team, and we'll be going in with the aim of wiping out this mob that wants to take over the island."

"We'll be there."

"We..."

"Yes, Mike. We."

"Okay. See you in an hour."

Michael, Sam, Gina and Fiona met at the CIA offices. Gina stared at Fiona, and she couldn't help but let her gaze wander down to the distinct baby bump. "Fiona, please don't tell me you're going on this mission too!"

"I'm fine. The baby's fine. By the way, it's going to be a girl." She smiled. "We found out at the ultrasound the other day."

"Congratulations! I'm still concerned about you after what happened at the loft."

"Well, it's nice to know I'm not the only one," Michael said as he eyed Fiona. "But my wife is too stubborn for her own good sometimes."

Gina smiled. "Sam told me that sometimes I remind him of Fiona. Now I understand why." She redirected her attention to Michael and said, "Don't worry, we'll partner up and keep an eye on each other."

"As soon as Pearce shows up, we'll decide who works with whom."

"I'm here." Pearce announced as she walked into the small conference room where they congregated. "Have a seat and I'll go over what intel we have." She passed out a small sheaf of papers to each of them. "The people responsible for coercing Mick Benwije into killing the small country's leader is called the Solidarity Liberation Group. Their motives are to put someone of their choosing in office who will make it easier for them to continue the sale of illegal substances within their country and beyond. The country's late leader may not have been lily white, but these guys are as bad as they come."

"So what are we going to do," Sam asked as he finished scanning the papers and dropped them onto the table surface.

"I'm sending the four of you in to extract Mick and his family. Our intel says that he's still alive, and so are they. They're being held in the police station. The fortifications are pretty tame. I'm sure Fiona can pick them out in seconds." She gave Fiona a nod of acknowledgement of her skills. "While you're getting the family and spiriting them off the island, our other team will be neutralizing the threat to the rescue operations and the country's welfare."

"Sounds like we get the easy part," Fiona said as she pushed the papers away from herself. "I hope you didn't do this because of me in my 'condition' or the fact that Gina and Sam are newlyweds."

"We're bringing in a big team to get this done. Nobody has an easy job." She went over the details and how the plan would work. "You all better go home and get some rest. We're doing this tonight."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Gina's speedboat went into service again, only this time the four were on their own. The sun was setting as they left, but by the time they reached Grand Isle it would be dark. As Sam steered the boat toward their destination, he kept an eye out for other boats, specifically pirates. When they completed their mission they would have to traverse the dark ocean without escort, and the thought of a chance of running into some again wouldn't leave the back of his mind. At least this time they had plenty of gas and more horsepower to outrun them if necessary. Still, their first objective was to rescue Mick and his family, and then they had to get off the island without anyone in their team or the subjects of their mission being killed or injured.

He pulled the boat into a cove near the north end of the city. The water was shallow enough for them to hop out and wade to the shore, and they left the boat anchored there. "Mike," Sam stepped up on the beach and stood beside Michael, and he spoke softly so Fiona couldn't hear. "I think Fi should stay here and guard the boat."

"No, everyone's going into town. That's the plan."

"It's probably a whole lot less dangerous for her to be here than in the thick of things. She's got a baby to be concerned about, you know."

Michael glared at him in the dim light from a shielded flashlight. "You don't have to tell me that. I tried talking to her, but you know Fi. She threatened to kick my ass and go without me if it came down to it, so I really didn't have much choice."

"Okay. Once things get hot and heavy, we're not gonna be able to watch over her."

"She wouldn't want you to. Let's go." With the aid of a GPS system, they found their way through the thick vegetation and found a narrow road that brought them to the city.

It was an hour shy of midnight, the streets were deserted. They walked down the sidewalk on one side and kept out of the spill from the few street lights that worked. Even in the dimness, Michael saw landmarks he remembered from the last time he and Fi were in this part of town. "We're on the right track. It's this way." He spoke with a whisper, and he beckoned them forward. Everyone picked up the pace to keep up with him. Headlights moved down the next street, and Michael pulled up short, ducked back into the shadows, and everyone flattened themselves against the wall to avoid being detected. A lone car passed and continued southward.

"That was close," Sam muttered. "Where's the station? How far away is it?"

"Just down this block."

"Crap, that car stopped at the jail." Sam held Michael back and they peered around the corner.

A figure stepped out of the back and dragged another out behind him. The second figure stumbled, hunched over, and from where the group stood, his moans were audible.

"Sam, it's Mick."

"Wow, if that's the reward for doing the local mob boss's bidding, I'd hate to see what he does when somebody screws up!"

"Are we going to stand here all night?" Fiona whispered harshly.

"Let's go," Gina rasped. She ran her fingers over the safety on her weapon, eager to get in and get out with Mick and his family.

"Just wait." Michael ordered. "Let's see if this guy leaves. The fewer people we have to fight, the better." He paused and glanced at the glowing hands of his watch. "Besides, any minute now, law enforcement, such as it is, will be called to the presidential palace to handle a disturbance. That'll clear out the station."

Michael was right. A few minutes later, the sound of feet running echoed up the narrow street, bouncing off the stucco walls. Several officers ran out the front door, got into vehicles, and drove toward the center of the city. The black sedan remained behind. Michael muttered something and stood in thought a moment.

"Michael, if those men are still in there, we need to know where they are," Fiona said. "Then a little grenade lobbed in the right place can take care of our adversaries. After that, we go in, open the cells, and get everyone out."

"That's a good idea, but you're not going out there," Gina said. "I'll do it. I can get down low enough to look through the windows without being seen, and I can scoot away fast if necessary."

"Gi..."

"It's okay, Sam. I'll be fine." She held out her hand and Fiona gave her two grenades. "Wish me luck!" She ran across the street and got down as she neared the station windows. She flattened herself up against the wall and looked inside. Then she ducked down, passed the window and carefully peered over the edge.

"She's taking too much time," Michael murmured. He watched her stop under the second window. She turned toward them and held up four fingers. "There are four guys in there."

"Two grenades, she should be able to take them out," Fiona said.

"As long as the people we want aren't in the way," Sam said as he watched intently and tried to steady his nerves. Until she was safely beside him and they were back in Miami, it was a lost cause.

Gina tucked her gun into her waistband and held one grenade in each hand. She pulled both pins, tossed one through the first window that was open, and she got up, ran toward the other and threw it with enough force to crash through the glass. She made it around the vehicle in the street before both of them blew in quick succession. The explosions squelched the cries and shouts coming from inside the building, and afterward the only sound was that of dogs barking in the distance.

"Okay, let's go in and get them," Michael ordered as he led the way.

Gina joined them in their trot across the street and entered the smoky front room, or what was left of it. Two shredded bodies, one dressed in a suit and the other in an island police officer's uniform, lay on the floor. Sam checked them and found there wasn't much left for them to be alive. He followed the team into the jail area.

"Fi, work fast."

"Of course, Michael." She had her tools ready, and in the dim overhead lighting she picked the locks in a matter of seconds. Beyond the door were three cells with their own doors. Mick and Moniqua were housed in one cell, and the children kept separate, with an empty cell in between them. Fiona freed the adults, and Sam took care of the cell with the kids inside.

"Sam, let's grab them," Gina said as she entered the cell and picked up Henri. Sam took Debora, even though the girl was old enough to walk on her own. They needed to leave immediately, and a balking child would only slow them down. The scared kids clung to them.

Moniqua stood in the hallway and wrung her hands as Michael and Fiona helped Mick to his feet. "We are grateful for your assistance, Michael, but my husband, he cannot walk on his own."

"Don't worry, we'll get him to the boat." Michael looked up at Sam. "Can you check the guy in the suit for car keys? Maybe we can use his vehicle to get us to the boat."

"You got it." Sam put Debora down on her feet and hurried into the front room to rifle through the dead man's pockets. The others came out. "Nothing. He must have left them in the car. I'll check."

"We'll stay here until Sam gets back." Michael held them back from the door as Sam scurried around the car to the driver's side.

He reached in through the open window and felt around the steering column. Then he straightened and beckoned them outside. "Come on! The keys are in it!"

Cautiously, the small group headed for the car. Fiona and Michael supported Mick, and Moniqua and the children followed, while Gina covered their backs. Michael opened the back door, ushered them in, and then he and Fiona shoved Mick inside. It wasn't gentle, but they had no time for treating anyone with kid gloves. They needed to get back to the boat.

Shots rang out, and Sam returned fire down the street. Michael, Fiona, and Gina all fired back at the officers running toward them. Two went down, but three more continued to close in. A few soldiers joined the posse.

"Fi, give me one of those grenades," Michael exclaimed and instantly felt the smooth metal in his hand. He pulled the pin, aimed and threw it purposefully into the middle of the group. It exploded and caused people to scatter. "Okay, everybody get in!"

Sam took the driver's seat, Michael and Fiona squeezed into the front passenger seat, and Gina stuffed herself into the back with the family. It was a tight fit, but as long as it got them to the boat, they didn't care about a little discomfort. As Sam turned the car in the narrow street, Gina swiveled around to face the back window. One of the shots hit it and shattered the glass. She shrugged it off, while Moniqua screamed and ducked.

"Keep your heads down!" She fired a steady stream until she ran out of bullets, and by that time Sam raced up the street and left them in the dust, but not for long. She grumbled, seeing headlights coming after them. In the confined space, she turned her head and yelled, "Sam, they've got vehicles coming after us! Give it some gas!"

"Hey, this car's a piece of crap, I can only go so fast!" He neared the end of the road and came to where the narrow trail led through the brush to the beach. "And we're out of road!"

"I don't care! Just go for it!"

"Gi..."

"Just do it, Sam! For crying out loud!"

"Backseat driver," he muttered and, despite his misgivings, he put the pedal to the floor and sent the vehicle plunging into the thick vegetation. Branches scraped against the paint, emitting a nerve-wracking scream. The car bounced and jumped on the uneven path. A branch snapped off and hitched a ride on the hood. Everyone braced themselves to avoid being bruised too much by the jostling, until they finally reached the beach. Sam put the car in park and everyone tumbled out of the vehicle.

"Okay, everybody on board and let's get out of here!" Sam got out, opened the back door and grabbed Debora. Henri slipped out after her, and Gina slung the empty gun across her back before picking up Henri. They loaded the kids onto the boat.

"Come on, Mick. We'll get you on board." Michael and Moniqua held him up, while Fiona kept an eye on the clearing they made. "Michael, they're closing in. We've got to make this quick!"

"Okay." Michael picked up Mick and carried him in his arms. He stumbled a little in the water, but he got him to the boat. "Sam, can you give me a hand here?"  
Sam and Gina were in the boat, so they both reached down and lifted Mick from their friend's arms. They laid him on the bench seat, helped Moniqua up and then Michael and Fiona climbed aboard. Fi kept her eye and her gun trained on the new road they created. A vehicle scraped through just as Sam fired up the engines.

Gina lifted the anchor and a shot whizzed by her. "Sam, get us out of here!" She dropped the anchor in its storage place and picked her way over the bow to get back to the others. Two more bullets passed by her. Sam turned the boat abruptly, causing her balance to shift, but she'd spent many an hour on the boat when Trent was alive. She still had her sea legs and quickly compensated for the change. Something else she was familiar with, a hazard of the job of an agent, was the searing pain of a bullet slicing through flesh. It hit her leg like a hot railroad spike, penetrating muscle and exploding out the front of her thigh. She couldn't stop the cry of pain.

"Gina! Get us out of here, Sam!" Fiona cried out and rushed forward as Sam opened the throttle.

Gina fell into waiting arms, and Michael and Fiona lowered her to the deck. Michael asked, "Where are you hit, Gina?"

"My leg," she groaned in reply. "Oh, that really hurts!"

"Mike, is she okay?" Sam yelled over the roar of the engines.

Michael stepped up to the help. "Don't worry, Sam, we'll take good care of her. Just keep this thing on full speed and get us back to Miami."

Sam turned his head but couldn't see anything in the darkness behind him. The flashlight was inadequate. "I think everybody better get down below deck."

"You're right." Michael returned to the bow and said, "Moniqua, take the kids down into the boat. Fi and I will take care of Mick and Gina."

Gina spoke through gritted teeth. "Michael, I think I can make it down there on my own. Really!"

"I'd rather that you didn't. Just hang on. We'll come back for you."

The entrance to the lower deck was narrow, which made it more difficult to get Mick inside. Fortunately, he was conscious now and was able to assist somewhat. They settled him into a chair and went back for Gina. When they arrived topside, they found Sam ducking and bullets flying from somewhere behind them.

A storage locker on the deck contained more guns and ammo, enough for a small army. Michael and Fiona grabbed fresh weapons and perched on the bench seat, then fired back.

"Sam, can't you make this thing go faster?"

"I'm trying, Mike! I've got it open all the way!" He began swerving in tight curves, hoping to evade the bullets and create a wake that would throw off the other craft.

It didn't take long for the firing to taper off. "Good work, Sam! I think they're giving up." Michael got up and went to get Gina from the deck. "How are you doing, Gina?"

"Hanging in there, Michael." She removed her shirt during the firefight and used it as a compress against the front of the wound, but the material was completely soaked through. She gasped when Michael lifted her, threw her arm around his shoulder, and he helped her to the stairs. "Michael, please..." She collapsed in his arms, dead weight dragging him down.

"Michael, is she..." Fiona stood by, helping him get her up again.

"Just unconscious. Fi, help me get her down there." He bore most of Gina's light weight, but Fiona grabbed her legs and helped get her below deck.

Sam was alone topside, but he was too worried about navigating back to Miami to be concerned. So far the pirates seemed to be in hiding or slacking off. He glanced down and in the glow of the dials and gauges, he saw that they still had a half tank of gas, plenty of fuel to get them back even at full throttle. With an eye on the GPS, he kept them running through the night. He wished he could go down and check on his wife, but he had a job to do. He couldn't even let himself become distracted by her injury, or he would ease off and put them all in danger. Not that they were truly safe yet.

He peered into the darkness to the right and saw a large outline coming straight for them. It was a cruise ship, but Sam knew he could evade it without trouble, and they were out of its path in seconds. Still, the encounter didn't do much for his nerves.

"Sam, how much longer before we get back," Michael asked as he suddenly appeared beside Sam's elbow.

"Jeez, Mike, you almost scared me!" Sam returned his attention to the blackness ahead of them. "We should see some lights in about an hour, and pull into the dock in two. How's Gina doing?"

"She's losing blood, but it's not like she won't survive." Michael placed a reassuring hand on his arm. "She'll be okay. I'm going to go back down and see if Fi needs any more help. Yell if you need anything."

"Will do, brother." He was grateful for Michael checking on him, but Sam wished he'd given him more details on Gina's condition. Everything he said was far too vague for his newlywed heart. _This is it, no more of this crap. I'm not going to be a widower before I've barely had a chance to be a husband! __No, Mike would have told me if it was that bad, and he would have taken over driving if he thought she was dying. _He checked the board again, making sure they were on course and had enough fuel to make it home.

"How is she, Fi?" Michael asked as he went below again after checking on Sam for the second time in an hour. They were on radio silence, so there was no way for them to call for help unless it was absolutely necessary. Michael wished they could call and have an ambulance waiting, but he hoped that Pearce would have ordered one just in case.

"I wrapped the wound in a sheet and tied it as tightly as I could. I think it's working. She's out right now." Fiona shook her head. "She needs medical attention as soon as possible. How much longer before we reach the shore?"

"About a half hour We can see the Miami skyline from where we are now. I'm going to go up and take over for Sam. I think his nerves must be about shot worrying about Gina. At least he can be with her then and comfort her."

"Good idea." She looked up at him, a protectiveness mirrored in her eyes. "You should have spelled him a long time ago, Michael."

He was so focused on the mission and getting away, and Sam was doing such a good job accomplishing that goal, he didn't consider it necessary to change anything. But Fiona was right, he should have taken over the helm. Michael went topside and stood beside Sam.

"Hey, why don't you let me take over? We're almost back, and I think you need a break." In the glow from the instruments, Michael saw the anxious expression on his friend's face. "Go ahead. I can get us back."

"Okay, Mike. Let me know if you need backup or anything."

"I'll be fine." He took the wheel from Sam and let him pass, then concentrated on the lights he saw in the distance getting closer with each minute.

Sam went down the stairs and found Mick and his family huddled together in the galley dining area. Everyone looked scared, but good. Mick bore the bruises and scrapes from his ordeal, but it was nothing that a few days' rest wouldn't cure. The bedroom door was open, and he peered through to see his wife lying on the bed. Gina was pale and still, and for a moment, his heart skipped a beat. She looked dead.

Fiona got up from the edge and came to him. "Sam, she'll be okay. Once we get her to the mainland..."

"How bad is it? Don't lie to me, Fi."

"The bullet went through and tore up a lot of muscle. She was bleeding pretty steadily until about an hour ago, when I got it under control. She's been out most of the time, so she isn't in any pain." She laid a tender, but blood-stained, hand on his arm. "She's tough. She'll make it."

He was too overwhelmed to respond, so he sat in the place that Fiona abandoned, picked up GIna's hand, and stroked it as he silently prayed that she'd make it. He felt her pulse, but it seemed strange, as if it wasn't really hers. It was his, and he was keeping her alive. But that wasn't true. He only wished it were, because then he could heal her and be assured that she would survive.

Not long after he took up his position, the boat slowed, startling them. "What's happening?"

"I don't know. Maybe we're bacK?"

"I'll go check. Fi, you stay here with Gina." Sam turned and rushed up to the deck. "Mike, what's happening?"

"We're here." He pointed toward the lights of Miami and the marina coming up fast. He turned the boat into the area, found the slip, and pulled in. "Okay, let's get Gina out of here first. Then we'll worry about Mick and his family. They're safe now. No one's going to hurt them."

"You'll get no arguments from me!"

Michael turned off the boat and quickly tied the craft to the dock. Meanwhile, Sam and Fiona worked to get Gina up on deck. Then he and Sam lifted her up to the dock and carried her to the end. Just as he'd hoped, an ambulance waited along with a few cars and Agent Pearce. She watched with mixed emotions as they brought Gina to the end of the pier.

"What happened? Where's the Benwije family?"

"They're still on the boat. Fi will get them off," Michael answered, incredulous that she didn't even ask about their fallen team member. "Gina needs medical attention."

Paramedics took her out of Sam and Michael's arms and laid her on a gurney. They rushed her to the waiting ambulance. Sam watched her go, then turned to his friend. "I'm going with her. I'll see you later."

"Sure, Sam."

"Don't forget you've got a debrief," Pearce barked.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world... after I know that my wife is okay." Sam retorted and got into the ambulance.

The doors closed on him before she could reply, and the sirens screamed into the night.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Mick and his family were taken to the hospital for a check. Mick was battered, but after some rest he would be fine. The CIA put the family up at a hotel for the time being with round the clock security, just in case. There was only one thing missing: a reunion with Amani.

"Michael, it's time to take Amani back to his family." It pained Fiona to think about it, much less speak the words, but she couldn't keep a child whose family was alive and well. She swallowed back the devastation that she felt guilty for having. After all, she should be happy that his parents and siblings were safe. Yet a small selfish part of her wanted to keep Amani for herself and Michael. In the end, she had to do the inevitable.

"I know, Fi." He looked down at her standing in the hotel lobby with her dirty and disheveled clothes, looking up at him with such a forlorn look, it made him want to weep. "I don't want to do it either, but it's the right thing."

She nodded slightly. "I know."

"There you are!" They turned their attention to Madeline, who entered the hotel lobby with Amani on her hip and a wide smile on her face. She approached them and gave each one a long, emotional hug. "I was so worried about you two! Are you okay?"

"We're fine, Ma." His wet eyes were on Amani. Then he reached out and asked, "Can I have him?"

"Sure." She handed her temporary grandchild over to Michael.

"I suppose we should look on the bright side," Fiona spoke softly as she caressed Amani's soft curls. "If Mick and his family stay in Miami, we'll still be able to see him."

"It all depends on whether the agency thinks they're safe here, and if Mick will be prosecuted. He did, after all, assassinate the leader of his adopted country." Michael hated to put a damper on her thoughts, but facts were facts. She was better off not getting her hopes up. "Let's worry about that later, okay? Let's just... enjoy the time we have." He turned and led the three up to the room.

The tearful reunion that the Benwije family had with Amani soothed them a little, but nothing could ever completely fill the hole that his departure left in their hearts. Fiona couldn't stand to watch more than a minute, and she left with Maddie on her heels to try to comfort her. Michael felt like an outsider, which wasn't that unfamiliar a sensation for him, but this time, it hurt like a stab wound to his heart. He wordlessly patted Mick's shoulder, gave him a silent farewell, and left the room. In the elevator, he collapsed against the wall, buried his face in his hands, and managed to hold back the rising wall of sorrow that threatened to crush him. A few people got on, but he ignored their strange looks, stood straight in the corner, and looked up at the numbers as they descended.

Maddie and Fiona were outside on a bench. The sun shone down mercilessly on them, but they didn't care. They were too busy consoling each other. Michael stopped in front of them and blocked the harsh rays. He looked down at their tear streaked faces and almost lost it himself. All the time they had Amani, he tried not to get attached. He learned his lesson with Kira. But it was impossible to not love him. Now he paid the price as his heart broke just as much as theirs. "Ma, thanks for coming. We should probably go home. The Benwijes are in the agency's hands now."

The women nodded, and he led them to his mother's car. She drove them to the loft. "If you two need anything, let me know. You want to talk, come on over."

"We will. Thanks, Ma. But we've got work to do yet. After we clean up, we have to go to the agency's offices and debrief."

"Okay. I'm going over to the hospital to see how Gina's doing. I'll let you know how she is."

"We'll head over there after the debriefing," Fiona said.

Maddie nodded and put the car into gear. "I'll see you both later, then. Love you, honey. Love you both." She gave them a short wave and pulled onto the street.

Michael watched her leave, let out a deep sigh, and said, "Fi, sometimes I think it was easier when I didn't care. When I didn't invest myself in other people. Just do the job and be done, on to the next one."

Fiona curled her hands around his arm and stood close. "But then you'd be no better than all those despicable people your path has crossed over the years. You are who you are, Michael, because you care. I thank God you're you." She gave him a smile. "If you weren't, I wouldn't be standing here right now carrying your child. We wouldn't have this life, or be happy with each other." She paused and pulled him toward the loft. "Come on, let's get cleaned up. Then we'll go see Sam and Gina."

* * *

Sam was still in the clothes he wore on their mission when Michael and Fiona entered the room, and his face bore the marks of a lack of sleep. He sat in a chair beside Gina's bed and held her hand, his forehead on the rail, not moving until he heard footsteps. Michael and Fiona stood together, holding hands, and looking no worse for the wear. Sam looked almost surprised to see them.

"Hi, Sam." Michael spoke softly. They approached the bed. "How is she?"

Sam glanced up at the monitors and the collection of bags hanging over the head of the bed. "She's hanging in there. It took a few hours in surgery to put her back together. Now she's fighting an infection, but they're pretty confident she'll beat it." He caressed the back of her hand absently with his thumb as he talked. "I'm worried. If I lose her, I don't know what I'm gonna do, Mike. She's... she's everything to me. It would be like cutting off half of my-myself." His voice cracked. Sam bowed his head until it touched her hand, and his shoulders trembled as he released his pent up emotions now that he voiced what he'd been thinking the past several hours.

Fiona and Michael took up positions flanking him and laid hands on his shoulders, silently letting him know they understood. When he regained control of his emotions, Fiona said, "Sam, I think you should go home for a little while. Take a shower, change clothes... maybe even catch a little nap. You don't want Gina to see you like this, do you?" Attempting to lighten his spirits, she added, "You might scare her."

"Ha, ha." There was no amusement in his tone. He sighed heavily and stood. "You're right, though. I should get fixed up." He didn't let go of Gina's hand until the very last second. He kissed it over the leads and tubing, let it slowly rest on the sheet, and backed away. "I'll be around later, sweetheart. Wait for me."

Michael drove him to the big house on Star Island that had become partly Sam's when he married Gina. He parked in the circular drive and turned to his friend. "You want us to take you back to the hospital?"

"No thanks, Mike. I can drive." A thin smile crossed his face. "Thanks for asking, though. I appreciate it."

"Any time."

Sam got out and Fiona crawled out from the back seat and took his place, but not before stopping him. "Sam."

"Yeah?" He turned and faced her.

"We'll keep watch over her until you return." She reached up, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him for a few moments.

He appreciated her warmth and love. Sometimes it amazed him how they'd gotten so close. She was like the sister he never had, and he was grateful for her and Mike. He squeezed Fiona gently and released her. "Thanks, Fi. I'll see you in about an hour."

"Okay." She patted his rough cheek and grimaced. "You really need to lose this!"

He couldn't help but chuckle a little at her insistence. "Don't worry, Fi. You know I can clean up real good." He waved as they drove away, then retreated into the house. The neighbor, an older man with a perpetually sour face, eyed Sam's grubby exterior, shook his head and muttered something, and entered his house. _Whatever, mister. If you'd been through what I've been through in the last 24 hours, you'd understand._

Showered, shaved, and dressed in clean clothes, he skipped the nap idea and got into the Cadillac to drive to the hospital. Before he reached Gina's room, her doctor intercepted him.

"Mr. Axe, I'm Gina's doctor." He shook hands with him.

"Yeah, Dr. Morris. Is there something wrong?" He studied the other man, looking for clues. There had to be a reason for stopping him on his way to see his wife.

Dr. Morris softened his serious expression. "Mr. Axe, Gina is doing just fine. We've given her antibiotics and they're already working to fight off infection. We're replacing the blood she lost and all her numbers are starting to improve. I think if she keeps making this kind of progress, she should be home by the end of the week."

"Really?" Tears flooded Sam's eyes, but they were ones of relief, not sorrow as he expected. "Thanks, Doc!"

The doctor smiled. "You can rest easy, Mr. Axe. She's a tough lady, but she also has a desire to beat this minor setback."

Sam's smile was one of pride. "That's my Gi. Is it okay to go in and see her now?"

"Sure. Your friends are in with her."

"Thanks." Sam didn't want to be rude, but his desire to reach Gina's side outweighed anything else at the moment. He hurried in to the room and found her having moments of wakefulness followed by longer periods of sleep. But at least he could talk to her and know she was listening.

After awhile, Michael and Fiona left, leaving him alone with her. Jesse stopped by for a little while. Even Pearce made a short appearance, if only to remind Sam of his obligations to appear for a debrief. Michael and Fiona had just brought Sam something to eat when she poked her head into the room. Michael silently waved her inside.

"How is she," Pearce whispered solemnly, as if they were at a wake and not a bedside.

"She's doing well, actually. The doctor told Sam she could be out of the hospital by the end of the week if everything continues to go well."

"That's great news!" She looked genuinely happy. But then her expression changed and she approached Sam, stopping beside him. "I'm sorry about this, but I have to ask you to come to the office for the debriefing."

"Yeah, I know. I'll be there tomorrow." He looked up at her. "Gina's doing much better, compared to this morning, even."

"I'm sorry, Sam. Really, I am."

"It wasn't your fault, Pearce. We all knew going in that something could happen. We're not bullet proof," Sam answered her with carefully chosen words. She could have provided them more people besides their little team, but there was no point in arguing about it now. He asked, "Any word on how things went in the city?"

"The Solidarity Liberation Group is no more. Our people got in, took them out, and the few that survived will be facing some serious charges. If they even make it to trial. They're being held in the capitol's jail, and... well, you know how well fortified that thing is..." She grinned, but there was no warmth in her expression. Then it softened as she continued. "Now Grand Isle can have a real election and begin to heal from years of neglect and corrupt puppet masters."

"That's good." Michael asked, "And Mick and his family?"

"They're all fine. We're keeping them safe in a hotel for now." She glanced at Michael. "We moved them to another hotel after you left. We'll keep shifting them around until we know that no one is after them. Then it's up to Grand Isle if Mick will be extradited for the assassination. If they choose not to prosecute, he and his family will go into witness protection."

"So Mick is going to testify?"

Pearce shook her head. "No, but he's valuable to us, and we don't want him to be... eliminated." She stared at Michael. "You've forgotten how effective he was for our side in Nigeria. We hope to use him again at some point as an asset. We're just ensuring that he survives that long."

Michael listened to her talk, wearing a stony expression. He knew all about taking advantage of assets. He'd done it for years without a twinge of conscience. But now that he'd had a good taste of life on the other side, he saw the practice for what it was. He wouldn't tell Pearce, but he hoped that Mick decided that the spy business wasn't worth the risk and would settle down as a normal civilian.

"Well, I'm off. Sam, I'll be thinking of Gina." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "She did a great job helping on this assignment. If you two want to keep working for us on the side, we'd be happy to have you. Take care."

"Thanks." After Pearce left, Sam said, "I think Gi and I are done with the CIA for awhile."

"That goes for us, too," Michael said with a smile. "At the debriefing I told Pearce that was my last mission. I'm done."

"Oh, I bet she wasn't too happy with that." Sam glanced up at him.

"No, but she didn't have much choice. She knew I was quitting. I just decided that the time was now. I have some work to do before the baby comes." He hesitated. "Sam, I know this is a really bad time to ask... but... when Gina's a little better, can you help me build some walls? I want to make a nursery for the baby."

The corner of Sam's mouth tipped up into a smile. "You bet, Mike. Next week, after Gina's home. She and Fi can hang out, and we'll get it done."

"That sounds good. We'll shoot for that." Hearing the hope in his friend's voice lifted his spirits.

Gina stirred and emitted a soft moan. Sam's attention turned back to her and he held onto her hand with both of his. "Gina? Can you hear me?"

"Yes." Her voice was weak, but it sounded good to him. "Sammy, am I dead?"

"No! Why would you think that?"

She pulled her hand from his and caressed the side of his face. "Because... you shaved." She laughed weakly and her hand dropped to the bed.

"It's nice to know your sense of humor didn't get damaged," he replied, beaming at her.

"Right now... I feel like that's the only thing that's intact."

Sam kissed her hand. "You just rest up, baby. Next week we're hanging out with Mike and Fi and getting their apartment ready for the baby!"

A smile crossed Gina's face. "I can't wait."

Through the course of the week, Sam learned just how much determination his wife had. She regained more of her strength every day, and against doctor's orders, got up and tried to walk. Sam found her standing unsteadily beside the bed and raced to her side.

"What are you doing?"

"I decided to get up and dance with my IV pole. What does it look like I'm doing?" She fought the lines and tried to put them in order so she could move.

"Did Dr. Morris say you could get up and walk?"

"He said whenever I felt ready. I'm ready, Sam." The intensity in her eyes scared him a little.

"Alrighty, then. Just let me help you, okay?"

She made it out of the room using slow, shuffling steps. He felt the tension in her body, and Sam would have preferred to get her back to bed, but he knew there was no stopping her. Once she got to the door, she took a few more steps and turned back.

"I think I'm done for now."

_I couldn't agree more!_ He witnessed the pain she tried to hide as it showed on her face, and it killed him inside to see her suffer. Yet he also knew, after experiencing war wounds himself, that the only way to get over it was to fight back. She would do it, and before long, be back to her old self. Only now they would have to find something else to do instead of running headlong into the middle of a revolution or God only knew what else the CIA wanted them to do. He helped her back into bed and arranged her covers and the IV pole. He felt her eyes on him the entire time, and when he met hers, she wore the most tender expression on her face.

Reaching up to touch his cheek, she said, "I'm so glad I married you, Sam. I can't imagine anyone else being here, putting up with me..."

"I'm not just 'putting up' with you. I made a vow to take care of you, and that's what I'm doing."

Her smile widened. "You remember."

"Damn right I do, every word of what I said the day we married. And I intend to keep up my end of the deal." He could be just as determined as Gina, especially when it came to his word.

"You'll have no worries with me." She pulled him down and kissed his lips, not letting go until they were both breathless. "That's why I love you. I can always depend on you, and I know you'll always love me."

"That's true." He carefully pulled her into an embrace and ran a trail of kisses from her lips to her neck.

And that's how the nurse found them. She cleared her throat, smiled at their startled reactions, and said, "Mr. Axe, you should really let that poor woman have some rest!"

"Hey, she started it!"

"It's true, I did." She laughed, kissed Sam one more time, and let him go.

"I'll see you later, Gi. I have to go back to the house and take care of something." When she gave him a questioning look, he explained. "That pool cleaner you hired is a real slacker. He's been doing a crappy job, and I want to be around when he works, maybe see what's going on."

"Fine." She sighed, disappointed that he was leaving. "You're really taking this whole head of the household thing seriously, aren't you?"

"You bet! Somebody's gotta do it when you're not around!" He winked, squeezed her hand, and left the room.

He heard her longing sigh as he walked out. It brought a huge smile to his face. And, once again, he was glad that he got over his immature wandering ways and settled down with the right woman at the right time.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Sam pulled into the drive and was glad to see the pool cleaner's van in front. He parked in the garage, closed the door, and went through the house to get to the pool. He stopped in the living room, far from the windows, watching the young guy skimming the surface. Another man stood with him, and the two conversed. From his vantage point, he couldn't hear the words, but their body language said that this wasn't just a friendly chat. _I better go out there and see what's up._

When he pulled open the sliding glass door, the two men looked up at him. He gave them a disarming smile and stopped a short distance away, all the while sizing both of them up and looking for any potential trouble.

"Hi, I'm Sam Axe, the owner of this place." It still felt strange to say that, even though Gina made it clear that once they signed the marriage license, it was as much his as hers. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, Sir, nothing wrong," the older man said with a reassuring smile. "Apparently, there have been some complaints about Terry's performance, so today I'm checking to see if there's anything that can be fixed."

"I see." He kept an eye on the young guy as he continued to skim the pool.

"Have you or your wife had any issues with how he's doing?"

"Well, yeah. Last week we had some debris at the bottom that was there before he came and it was still there after he was gone. My wife also said that sometimes it seems like there's too much chlorine in the water."

"Really."

"Yeah. A couple of times, my eyes were burning after a swim, so I bought some test strips to check it out. The level was higher than it should be."

"We'll make sure that's all taken care of, Mr. Axe."

"Thanks." With one more wary look at the two, after deciding that he was just being overly cautious and that they were no threat, Sam went inside.

He did, however, do some digging on the company, and by the end of the day he hired a new pool cleaner because he didn't like the large number of complaints they had. He tackled some bills and other household business, wondering when he ever became adept at such things. He'd spent too much time having fun and scraping by the past few years to be saddled with such responsibility. Before that, the military took care of a lot of things. Now he was living like a real civilian, although they did have a maid who came to clean three times a week and a landscaper to cut the grass and maintain the lawn. While it seemed that this life could be pretty mundane, Sam had a feeling he would survive. A little less action that didn't involve spying or blowing up things, he could deal with that.

* * *

Sam pulled the Cadillac into the courtyard behind Michael's car. He helped Gina out, although she was almost able to do it alone. He held onto her a little longer than necessary, with his hands on her hips, eyes boring into hers.

"What's wrong, Sammy?"

"Nothing. I... I'm just so grateful for you." He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her. She pressed into him and reciprocated, deepening the kiss.

"Hey you two, you can do that at home!"

The couple broke apart and turned their attention to Michael and Nate, who came down the stairs. The two men grinned at their flush of embarrassment. "Hey Sam, Gina. Mike and I are going to the home improvement store to pick up a load of lumber and drywall."

"Okay. Anything you want me to do before you get back?"

"Just get Gina upstairs," Michael said. "We'll be back in a little while."

It was slow going and by the time they reached the top, Sam could see that the trip caused Gina a lot of hidden agony. "We should have stopped half way up and let you rest."

"No, I'm fine! The only way I'll get better is if I push myself." Her steely gaze met his. "You know that."

He nodded. "Yeah, I do. But I'm not going to let you..."

The door swung open and Fiona stood there. "Hello! What are you two doing out here? Come in!"

"We were having an argument," Gina replied lightly as they entered. "I think that was our first one as a married couple, not that it was much of an argument." She flapped a hand as she limped forward and gave Sam another look as he tried to help her. "He's babying me too much, Fiona. How do you deal with Michael when he gets hurt?"

"I've tried to get him to slow down, but he won't. I'm just resigned to it." Fiona shrugged and gave Sam a meaningful glance. "Besides, if he winds up hurting himself again, then I just look at him, and he knows he was being an idiot." She laughed and turned to Gina, took her arm, and led her to the bed. "But I think in this case, Sam is right. You should really lay down for a little while."

Gina looked at Sam, then Fiona, and she noticed another woman in the room. She lifted her chin in the woman's direction. "Fi, who's that?"

"Oh, this is Nate's wife, Ruth!" Fiona beckoned the quiet blonde woman forward. "Ruth, this is Sam's wife, Gina."

"Nice to meet you, Ruth!" She shook the woman's hand, not too surprised to find it lacking something. She clearly did not want to be here. Gina wondered why she came along with Nate.

"Nate and Ruth have a little boy. His name is Charlie."

"Where is he?"

"Madeline is watching him today."

_Ah, so that's it! Nobody is as good as her when it comes to taking care of her child._ Gina did her best not to smirk at the crinkled forehead and frown that Ruth wore at the mention of her mother-in-law.

"Gi, if you're not going to lay down, at least sit," Sam ordered her as he pulled out a chair from the dining room table and gestured for her to settle into it.

"Yes, dear," she replied with a hint of annoyance.

After awhile, Gina forgot about her discomfort. Fiona and Ruth sat at the table and they soon found themselves in a deep conversation about children. Being the only veteran in the small group, she had a lot of sage advice for both mother and mom-to-be. Ruth opened up and became more enthusiastic until the construction began and drowned them out.

Over the high-pitched shriek of a circular saw cutting through wood, Fiona yelled, "Why don't we go somewhere else and talk?"

"Where?" Gina asked, as the saw stilled, making her voice echo across the room.

"Sorry, girls," Sam said. "We're going to be loud for awhile. You might want to go somewhere else."

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Fiona said. "I have an idea! Let's go get our nails done!"

Gina's face lit up. "I know a great place, and they're really reasonable. I can drive."

"Gi..."

"Keys, Sam." She held up her hand. "I don't need my sore leg to push the gas pedal."

He let out a sound of protest, but he dug into his pocket, pulled out the keys, and tossed them to her. She caught them and gave him an air kiss. Then the ladies got up and took off, leaving the three men alone to work.

"Wow, she really is like Fi, isn't she," Michael said.

"You have no idea, Mikey!" Sam pulled a pencil from behind his ear and stretched a tape measure across the wooden stud.

Michael's brow furrowed. "Should I be worried about that?"

"Can't see why." Sam marked the cutting line and prepared to saw it. "Now, enough yapping. We've got work to do!"

They finished the framing, ran the wiring, and were in the process of hanging the sheetrock when Pearce stepped into the loft. Michael was startled to see her. He tapped Sam's shoulder, and he stopped fastening the drywall to the studs.

"Sorry, I tried knocking, but with all the noise in here, nobody heard me."

"It's okay." Michael took a few steps toward her. "What's up? You know I'm not doing any more work for the CIA."

"I know. I just thought you might want to know what happened."

"What happened? What are you talking about?" Sam stood beside Michael, and Nate joined them, forming an intimidating wall against her.

"There was an investigation into the assassination of President Torramo. After everything Mick told us, and the investigation, they're closing the matter without extraditing him." She paused. "The facts came down to this: Mick didn't pull the trigger. It was one of the group members who did it. Mick was supposed to kill the President, but he couldn't do it, and at the last second one of the goons shot him instead. Then they jailed Mick with his family and probably planned on executing them after the new puppet president was in place."

"And that's why they were so hot about getting their hands on Amani," Sam said with a look of astonishment and a hint of revulsion. "The old scorched earth policy. Take out everybody in the family, and they'd probably make him watch, too, just to make it more painful before he took the final bullet."

"Jeez, that's sick," Nate blurted, disgust twisting his features.

"Unfortunately, that's the kind of wonderful people you meet in the world of covert intelligence." Michael spoke in a monotone. "Thanks for letting us know what happened with Mick. Is he free to go now?"

"No. After the investigation, it became clear that he'll have to be under our protection for awhile. So he and his family will be transported to another location soon, and they'll just... disappear."

Michael's mouth twitched. "I take it there's no time to say goodbye."

"I'm sorry. We've got really tight security on them right now. Nobody's allowed in or out who isn't necessary for keeping them safe."

He nodded. It wouldn't be the first time that he'd had to lose an asset and not get to say good bye to them. In the spy world, he rarely developed the kind of friendship with someone that required a proper farewell. Mick was an exception. Sam was definitely an exception, but then they'd developed a brotherhood that trumped everything. Fi was on a whole different plane than either of them, and the fact that they came out of his career together and starting a family was highly irregular. He wouldn't change the way things turned out, not for anything. He just wished he could see Mick and wish him the best.

* * *

Within a week the room was finished and ready for the baby furniture. Fiona took her time decorating, because she wanted to draw it out and savor it. They were having a baby, a little girl. Whenever she closed her eyes at night she thought about her and what it would be like when the baby was in the room. She was to the point where she wished it would happen, because as her girth increased and the Miami heat worsened, the more uncomfortable and irritable she became. Some nights she had to sleep in bed alone, and Michael took the guest room, which was really the old bed situated near the work bench. She couldn't settle down and sleep, and any measures he took to comfort her only seemed to make things worse.

She was feeling particularly bad about the night before when Gina surprised her with a visit. Through the past few months, they'd bonded and become good friends, and it helped that she understood what Fiona was going through with the pregnancy and could counsel her and be a good listening ear.

Gina stepped inside, saw the look on Fiona's face, and hurried to her, giving her a hug. "Fi, what's wrong?"

Fiona pulled away, blinking back tears. "I don't know, Gina. I can't sleep, I feel emotional all the time..." At the moment, she was on the brink of tears.

Gina hugged her again and spoke softly. "It's okay, Fi. In a couple weeks, it'll be over and then you'll have that little girl to love on."

"I feel so bad for how I'm treating Michael."

"I know." Gina pulled back and swiped the loose curling locks from Fiona's face as she smiled. "Michael came over this morning to work with Sam. I heard him talking about what's been going on, and he sounded so puzzled about it. I told him that it was normal and that you'd get over it, and I promised him I'd come over and help you out."

"How?"

"You need to do something that'll get your mind off sweltering in this place. I understand that not being able to help Michael and Sam on cases is driving you nuts. Believe me, if I were up to it, I'd be helping them too, but not right now." She smiled at her. "Let's go shopping. I want to get some new shoes."

Gina said the magic word. "I know the best place to get designer shoes at a huge discount!" Fiona's face glowed as if the sun just popped out in the middle of a storm.

"Well then, let's go!"

"You'll be okay to walk, Gina?"

"I'm fine." She watched Fiona lock up the loft and followed her down the stairs, marveling at how fast the girl could move when when she was on a mission. "I still have my moments, though. Other than a pair of ugly scars, you'd almost never know that anything happened to me. And I'm not worried about those, because I can have them fixed, easy peasy."

Fiona smiled at the expression that her friend picked up from Sam. She noted that Gina wore shorts and the three inch lines along the outer edge of her thigh were highly visible, but she didn't seem to care.

"It's not like they're completely hideous. It gives me character." She grinned, picked the keyring from her purse, and unlocked the car doors. "I'll drive."

"Thanks. I've discovered that in my little car it's like driving with a watermelon on my lap. A very large watermelon!"

Gina laughed and pulled out onto the street. "I understand completely."

"Sometimes I find it hard to believe how you can sympathize. It's been so long since you had your son."

"True, but you'll see. There are some things you never forget!" She sighed and shook her head. "And some things you'll want to forget but won't!"

Fiona gave her a long look. "What do you mean?"

"It's nothing." She glanced at Fiona and saw her eyebrow raised as if she didn't believe her. Gina lightly thumped the heel of her hand on the steering wheel as they waited for a light, and she answered, "You know after Trent was born I thought I couldn't have any more kids. I didn't take any precautions, nothing happened, and so I thought my chances were zero of ever getting pregnant again."

Fiona gasped. "Are you telling me..."

She swallowed and blinked. "Yeah, I was. But I didn't even know until... until I lost it." She stepped on the gas. "The other day, when we were supposed to come over for dinner and Sam called and told you I wasn't feeling well?"

"Yes." Fiona's tone urged her to continue.

"I wound up having a miscarriage." Her voice cracked as she spoke the word. "I was shocked. Sam was completely blindsided, but he was amazing. He just did what he had to in order to get me the help I needed, and afterwards, he just held me." She paused and let the silence speak of her suffering. "I really didn't expect him to grieve over it, once the initial shock had worn off. It was... beautiful. If you could even call something like that beautiful."

"Why didn't he say anything to Michael?"

"I didn't want him to, and I don't think he was ready to share it with anyone yet. I think we were just too stunned to react any other way."

"Maybe you can try..."

"No." Gina cut her off sharply. "Sam and I both talked about this, and we're way too old. I mean, I'm practically grandma age! No, we decided it wouldn't be fair to bring up a child with parents our ages. If we want one, we can find an older kid that no one seems to want, a kid who just needs some love and discipline to turn them around."

"You're okay with that?"

"Yeah." Gina nodded, and a bittersweet smile crossed her face. "But not yet. We're still reeling from this unexpected almost pregnancy." She let out a breath and parked the car. "But hey, let's not talk about that anymore today! We're here for some retail therapy, and to get some new shoes. Lord knows you'll need something more sensible when you have to chase after a little one!" She laughed.

Fiona couldn't imagine ever wearing flat shoes. "I can run just fine in these." She picked up her foot, and she had to hold it out at a forty five degree angle in order to see it. "Oh my god, how will I even be able to see what they look like on my feet?"

"Mirrors, Fiona. They're your friend." Gina grinned. "Come on, let's shop!"

* * *

"Gina, I think I need to take a break," Fiona said as she flipped a damp tendril away from her face. "I never knew carrying this baby around would be so much work!"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be dragging you all over the place like this." Gina apologized and took Fiona's bags, then dumped them into her trunk. "Let's go get some lunch. I forgot how hard it was to carry in the middle of August, and Trent Jr. wasn't even close to full term like you are. I had him in November, when it was a little cooler, but even at six months, it was oppressive."

They found a place with outdoor seating covered by umbrellas, ordered and talked. Fiona watched Gina as she gazed at the people around them. She wondered if that was an old FBI habit, or if she was genuinely interested in the pedestrians passing them in the mall. She grimaced as she felt another twinge. She'd been having them for awhile now, starting last night. Michael would probably be upset with her if he knew, but from what the doctor told her, she had plenty of time yet before she gave birth. These pains were normal, so why bother Michael with unnecessary worry?

Gina saw the pained expression. "Are you okay, Fi?"

"Yes, I'm fine." The next thing she knew, she found herself being interrogated by Gina, asking her to describe the pains, how intense, and how often she had them. "It's nothing, really! The doctor told me I have plenty of time yet."

"Those doctors don't know everything, Fi. But I'm not going to harass you about it. I will say, though, that if they get worse or closer together, you let me know. Okay?"

"Sure, you know I will." The words sounded so hollow, but Fiona hoped that Gina could see the sincerity in her eyes.

They ate and drank their iced teas, talked about everything except Fiona's pains, and had a nice girl time. All the while, Gina watched like a hawk, to the point where she could tell that Fiona was clearly uncomfortable. She promised she wouldn't get on her case, so she silently kept an eye on her and gauged when to say something.

"Gina, look! There are Michael and Sam, up on the second level." She used her chin to point to them, just in case the reason for their husbands' visit to the mall happened to be nearby.

"Yeah, I see them." She followed their line of sight to a kiosk on the same level where she and Fiona ate lunch. A man stood at the kiosk appearing to be shopping, but her trained eyes knew differently. "That guy just passed something to the merchant, and it wasn't money."

"I saw that."

Gina kept watching from her half hidden vantage point while she texted Sam. She chuckled at his response. "Sam wants to know where the hell I am." She texted back and looked up to see the two were on the move. Their target took a small envelope and stuffed it into his pants pocket and turned toward the restaurant. "Crap, he's going to get away before they can reach him." She set her phone on the table and in the same movement stood and threw her napkin on her chair. With purposeful strides she moved straight for him.

Fiona noticed that her limp was gone and her body held a determined posture bordering on angry. As she watched the scene unfold, she couldn't hear what Gina said, but she could imagine it. Sam scowled, and Michael picked up the pace to reach them.

"Hey, what are you doing here," Gina yelled and pushed her hand into his chest.

The man, surprised and clueless, asked, "Do I know you?"

"Maybe not, but I know you. You two-timing low-life..."

"Look, lady, I don't know what you're talking about," he said and held up a hand in an attempt to stop her talking, but it was impossible.

"Oh, don't pretend you don't know! I'm talking about what you did to my poor friend Annie! You just up and left her without a goodbye? She's heartbroken now, you scumbag! She's my best friend! And you're gonna pay."

His defenses were up. "Hey, don't make me wanna hit you, honey."

"Honey? How dare you call me honey! You two-timing loser!" She took a swing at him, he blocked it. But he left his lower body vulnerable, and Gina took advantage by stomping on his foot with her bad leg, momentarily pleased that she felt no pain. He was mad now, and completely distracted. She blocked a return fist, grabbed it in her hand and squeezed.

"Okay, that's enough," Michael said as he came up behind him and grabbed his wrists. Before he could fight, the cuffs were on. "Thanks, Gina, for the help."

"No problem, guys. Fi and I were just having lunch over there." She turned her head toward the umbrella table and her breath caught. Fiona was definitely not doing well. She stepped into Michael's path and spoke with urgency. "Michael, you need to get rid of this guy right now. Then meet us at the doctor's office."

"Is... is Fi in labor?" He tried to look over Gina's shoulder and caught a glimpse of Fiona doubling over.

"Maybe, but she still probably has a lot of time yet. Don't worry, she'll be fine, and I'll take care of her." She caught Sam's intense stare, knowing what was going through his head after their own anxiety producing situation.

"Cops should be here any second, Mike. The rent-a-cop got on his radio." He inclined his head to the left. He was still on the radio and coming toward them. "Gi, you better go. Take care of Fi."

"I will. See you both soon!" She hurried to the table, signaled the server for their bill, and quickly plunked down some cash. Then she came around the table, helped Fiona to her feet, and began walking toward the car with her.

"Excuse me, gentlemen, what's going on here?" The rent-a-cop asked.

"Long story. We just need the police to arrest this guy." He got on his phone while Sam held the man and the guard watched with curiosity. "Detective Paxson, I need a favor. If the police aren't already on their way to the galleria, get over here now. Sam and I just collared Stan Briggs... Yeah, that guy. We were just out on another case and saw him pass off a package to the guy at the cell phone kiosk, and he handed him a packet."

Sam picked the envelope from the guy's pocket and held it up. "It's loaded with cash, Mike."

"Yeah, loaded with cash, Sam says. I see it right now. So I know you won't wanna miss out on this one or the cell phone guy." He listened and a slow grin spread across his face. "Any time, Detective. Looks like your boys are here, and the buyer is still hanging around, trying to look innocent. Sam and I would get him ourselves, but uh, I've gotta get going. Looks like Fi is going into labor." He paused. "Thanks. Yes, we're really happy about it. Okay, talk to you later. 'Bye."

The police took away the dealer and another couple of officers took the guy in the kiosk. He and Sam had to stick around and answer a few questions, all the while Michael's stomach felt as if it tumbled around inside of him from nerves. "Sam, we've gotta get going," he muttered.

"I know." He pulled out a business card and gave it to the officer who was questioning them. "Look, we've got an emergency to take care of. That's my name and number, so if you need anything else I'll be happy to give it to you. Later. Right now, this man has to get to his wife, who's having a baby."

The cop's eyes widened. "Do you need a ride to the hospital?"

"No, I'll drive. Thanks anyway." The Charger was acting up after Michael arrived at his house, so they took the Cadillac to the mall. This made it convenient for Sam to drive them to the doctor's office. All the way, he tried to reassure his friend, even though he had no clue what he was talking about. He never would, not after what happened with Gina.

"You know, I appreciate all this Sam, but it's not really helping." Michael leaned back in the seat, eyes closed, swallowing as if he were the one in labor and not Fiona.

"Sorry, Mike. I don't know what else to do. I've never been in a situation like this before."

"Me neither. There's the building where Fi's doctor is in, but I don't see Gina's car." Panic rose up in him. "Maybe they just went right to the hospital!"

"Don't worry, Mike. We'll go in and find them." Sam parked, but before he got the key out of the ignition, Michael was running for the door. He locked up the car and followed at a sprint.

Sam found Michael at a reception desk, bent over, getting into the woman's face. "You don't understand, my wife has to be here! She's in labor, dammit!"

"I'm sorry, Sir, but she was here and now she's not." Her brow crinkled as she saw Sam approach.

"Mike, it's okay. Settle down." Sam put his hands on Michael's upper arms and held him straight. He gave the woman a smile. "Sorry about my friend here. This is his first baby. Can you tell us if Fiona Westen went to the hospital?"

"No, Sir. She came in, went upstairs to Dr. Flynn's office, but she came down shortly thereafter. I don't know if she went to the hospital or not. Most likely they just sent her home."

"What makes you think that?"

"Dr. Flynn has a staff of nurse midwives, and it's their job to predict if a mother is ready to give birth or not." She lowered her voice and leaned toward Sam as if she was about to tell him a secret. "First time moms tend to panic, and they come in way before it's time." She smiled at them. "So I would advise going home, Mr. Westen. You'll probably find your wife there." Turning back to Sam, she added, "If she was about to deliver, she would have been up there longer and then they would have sent for an ambulance. I see this all the time."

"Thanks. You heard her, Mike. Come on, let's go back to the loft."

"I can't get through to Fi. I've tried calling like three times."

"It's okay. I'll try Gina." He dialed her number. It rang and rang, but she didn't pick up. "Okay, let's go to the loft and see what's happening."

They arrived and found Gina's car in the courtyard. Sam parked behind her, got out, and noticed that the passenger side door was wide open. He also noted that a thin trail of blood led the way up the stairs.

"Aw crap, Mike!"

"What? What's wrong?" He ran around the car and joined Sam at the foot of the stairs. He saw where Sam pointed and followed the trail upward. "Fi..."

They raced up the stairs together. Michael threw open the door and ran inside with Sam right behind him. They heard heavy breathing and then Fiona cried out. They reached the foot of the bed and found the two women. Fiona stood bent over, her hands grasping the back of a chair near the bed, while Gina stripped the linens from the mattress.

"Gi, what are you doing? Shouldn't she be in the hospital?"

"They sent her home, Sam. Said she wasn't anywhere close to delivering." Gina muttered a curse under her breath. "But she's in labor. I'm talking real labor! There's no way she's making it to the doctor's office again. Or the hospital."

"The hospital's only few miles away." Michael's voice was harsh as he approached Fiona and held her hand. "Come on, Fi, you can wait, can't you?"

"No!" Her response came out as a long, drawn-out shriek. Michael always knew what to do in just about every situation. This was one where he was at a loss.

"She's not going to make it, Michael." Gina laid down a large piece of plastic left over from when they painted the baby's room. "Sam, will you help me put a sheet over this?" Together, they quickly finished setting up the bed. "Her water broke, out of the blue while we were in the car, and my guess is she's ready to push at any time." She met Michael's eyes. "If you want to do anything, call for the ambulance. In the meantime, let me handle this." She looked down at his shaking hands. "Sam?"

"Come on, Mike, just step over here. Call 911, and we'll take care of Fi." He made sure Michael stayed where he pulled him, then turned back to the scene. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Help me get her on the bed, and give her something to hang onto." A contraction hit Fiona hard, and she buckled. Sam held her up and dragged her to the bed. After she lay on the surface, Gina said, "Honey, get as many pillows as you can and prop them up behind her. Fiona squirmed as another contraction came. "Fi, just give in! Let it happen if you feel that you have to push!"

Sam put the last pillow in place and grabbed Fiona's hand. He instantly regretted it as she nearly crushed every bone while she sat up straight and pushed. "Are you sure she's ready?"

Gina pulled her hand from beneath Fiona's rumpled skirt. "Yeah, she's ready. Go for it, Fiona. It's okay."

"They're coming," Michael said.

No one acknowledged his statement. Fiona had another contraction, and this time, she worked with it. She cried out, her hands digging into the mattress and Sam's hand as she pushed with everything she had. Gina took up position, nearly sprawled on the end of the bed to get a better vantage point.

"It's coming," Gina said with a small laugh. "I can see the head!"


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

A siren in the distance chorused with Fiona's cries, and Michael stood behind Sam and Gina, staring at the scene, unable to do anything. Frustration bubbled up inside along with disappointment. He should be the one in there, taking care of his wife and child. Why wasn't he there? He moved closer and bumped against Sam's leg.

His friend glanced up at him briefly. "Mike, get on the other side." Sam turned his attention back to Fiona. "Come on, Fi, you can do this," Sam said forcefully, yet with a calm in his voice that helped her focus. "I know you, you can get beyond the pain and just push. Come on!"

Another contraction hit and she worked harder. Gina waited with her hands ready to catch the baby. She took a peek and said, "You've got a ways to go yet, Fiona. Just another push or two, and this baby will be saying hello to her mommy."

Michael heard footsteps running up the steps and a pounding on the door. He made his feet move toward it, opened it, and gaped. "Campbell?" Michael stared at him with wide eyes.

"Michael?"

"Where..." Fiona's cry clued him in to where she was. "It's okay. We've got this."

Campbell and his partner hurried over to the bed as another contraction caused Fiona's eyes to slam shut and she pushed with all her might. He whispered, "Fiona..."

Sam's head whipped around. "Campbell!" He returned his attention to Fiona when she clawed into his shoulder. "Easy, Fi! Easy!"

"That's good, Fi, just one more push!" Gina looked up at the paramedic that everyone seemed to know. "The head's almost out. It's a really bad time to change up here, Campbell."

He nodded as he put on a pair of gloves. "But it's my job."

Fiona screamed again. Her hand dug into Sam's shoulder one more time while the other took hold of Michael's hand and she pushed again. Gina looked under the shelter of Fiona's skirt, her face beaming with wonder as the head came out. "Hang on, just have to turn her a little bit, and yes... there we go. Come here, sweetheart."

They heard a sound and then a cry as Gina brought the squirming little body out from hiding and up for everyone to see. "Here she is, Fiona. Your daughter."

Fiona was speechless as she reached out and took her. The cord was still attached. Campbell pushed Sam and Gina out of the way while he mumbled an apology. The couple backed away and stood next to Michael, and Sam laid a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Congratulations, Mike. You're a dad now."

He didn't say anything at first: he was too much in awe at the sight of his little girl. A sob came out of him and his eyes overflowed, sending small streams down his face. He watched Campbell and his partner put Fiona on the gurney and wrap the baby in a blanket before handing her back to her mother.

"I want to go along," Michael said firmly and sniffled.

"Sure, no problem, Michael. Come on." The paramedics pushed the gurney to the stairs and Michael took a step to follow.

"We'll see you at the hospital, Mike."

He turned briefly. "Thanks, Sam." He glanced at Gina, and the tears started flowing again. "Thank you, Gina."

"You're welcome, Michael. Now go enjoy the first new minutes of your daughter's new life!" She grinned at him and gave him a little shooing motion. He quickly turned and ran to catch up to the paramedics.

Sam and Gina stood and watched from the landing as the ambulance pulled away with lights but no siren. It was half way down the block before either one of them could speak. "Wow. Never saw anything like that before. How'd you know what to do, Gi?"

"You forget I've experienced childbirth from the other side. Plus, in my career, I've had to deliver a couple babies, believe it or not."

He locked eyes with her. "You never told me that!"

"It never came up!" She shrugged. "Well, now you know." As she turned back to the loft, she said, "I better get cleaned up, and then we can go see the baby and Fi."

While Gina washed her hands and arms, Sam grabbed a towel and did a quick cleanup of the floor, took the sheet off the bed, and put both in the tub to soak. The plastic sheeting he tossed into the dumpster downstairs.

"Gi."

"Yeah, Sammy?"

"I think your car is going to need some serious interior detailing." His gaze was locked on the seat where Fi had been. The white leather was wet and stained.

"Thank God for removable floor mats, so at least I don't have to worry about the carpeting. I think you better drive, and we'll leave my car here for now."

"Good plan. You better start keeping a kit in your car with some rubber gloves and stuff, just in case you have to deliver another baby."

Gina laughed and swatted his arm playfully. "You're such a jokester, Sam. I really don't plan on doing that again any time soon."

"Yeah, well, you didn't plan on doing it this time either, did you."

"Good point." She shook her head. "I'll take that under advisement. Happy?"

"Happy. And proud of you." He kissed her, opened the door for her, and once she was inside, he drove them to the hospital to see Fiona and the baby.

When they arrived and found her room, Michael stood outside with Maddie. Alarm bells went off in Sam's head and he took Gina's hand and trotted down the hall to them. He skidded to a stop. "Mike, what... is Fi okay? The baby?"

"Everything's fine, Sam," Michael replied with a puzzled expression. "The doctor's in with Fi, and the baby is in the nursery right now. They're both being checked out." He paused and his eyes watered again as he looked at them. He could barely get the words out. "Thank you. I don't know what happened to me, it was like I was frozen and I couldn't move."

"It's okay, Michael." Gina came forward and hugged him. "It happens. I've heard of tough guys who served as medics getting all weird and queasy when their wives give birth. It has a strange effect on men, apparently." She grinned at him before turning to Maddie. "And how is Grandma Westen doing?" The women hugged.

"Excited. And grateful that you were able to take charge."

"Well, I was really glad to have my assistant along." She glanced at Sam, who backed away from giving Michael a congratulatory hug and moved on to Maddie.

"I heard you had to survive Fiona's claw-like grip," Maddie said with a chuckle as she squeezed him.

"Yeah, and I survived!"

The doctor emerged from the room with a smile on his face. "Fiona will be just fine."

"Doc, why did you let Fi go home," Sam asked, stepping up into the man's personal space. "Didn't you see how far along she was?"

"Actually, no. One of the midwives examined her, and she was only at two centimeters dilation. She had a long way to go."

"Obviously not."

"Sam, lay off," Michael warned as he grasped his friend's arm.

"No, Mike. I wanna know how anybody could let a woman suffer like that and send her home when she was clearly in labor."

"Mr..."

"Axe. Sam Axe."

"Mr. Axe, with first time mothers, it usually takes awhile for things to progress. But sometimes, a woman surprises us. We can't choose when a baby is born, unless it's a c-section, and even then strange things can happen." He shifted his position, looking for a way to make a clean escape. "If you'd like, I could talk to you some other time about this. Right now I have another birth to attend to. Sorry." He hurried away.

"I suggest Fi get a different doctor. That guy's an idiot." Sam turned but Michael was nowhere in the hall. Only Gina stood with him.

"Michael and Maddie went in to see Fi. A nurse said she's going to get the baby. Come on, let's go inside." She curled her hand around his arm and smiled up at him. "That was really sweet how you chewed out that doctor for Fiona's sake. But he was right. Nobody could have seen this coming."

"Sorry if I looked like a jerk. I was just really concerned about Fi and the baby. I mean, anything could have happened to endanger their lives!"

"True. But Sam, women have been giving birth at home for thousands of years. Fiona was in good health, so unless something odd happened, she was perfectly safe. And even then, we could have handled it until the paramedics arrived. So relax. It's over and they're both fine."

Soon after they entered the hospital room, a nurse wheeled in a plastic bassinet that contained a tiny pink-wrapped bundle. She made noises and wriggled under the blanket, not used to the light and sounds of this new world. Fiona took her into her arms as if she'd always been there, and her face glowed with love as she looked down at her.

"Everyone, I want you to meet our daughter, Michaela Erin Westen." She looked up at Sam and Gina and smiled. "It's so hard to believe that she's here."

"She's a sweetie," Gina gushed as she gently caressed the baby's cheek.

"She's so... beautiful," Sam breathed. "She looks like she got the best of you and Fi, Mike."

"Thank you, Sam. I don't know who she looks like," Michael said. "I'm just happy she's here, and now we have our own child to love. No one can take her away." He sat on the edge of the bed, put his arm around Fiona, and rubbed the back of his fingers over the baby's cheek. A tiny fist escaped from the blanket and waved around. "Look at that." He took her hand and she curled her fingers around his.

"Yep, she's a Westen," Sam cracked. "She's trying to escape already. Just wait until she's old enough for boys, and she starts sneaking out of the house."

"Thank God that's not for a long time, yet," Maddie piped up.

"Well, if you and Gina intend to be godparents for Michaela, you better get ready to help me protect her from those guys."

"I've always had your back, Mikey. We'll have hers too. You can count on it."

Michael gave Sam a wink. "I knew I could."

Sam grinned and said, "It'll be smooth sailing, nothing to worry about with her daddy and me watching over her."

Maddie gave him a look. "Making trouble is something the Westen boys do best, Sam. So if little Michaela takes after her father, you better get ready."

"Thanks for the warning, Maddie." Sam and Gina spent some time visiting with everyone and taking turns holding the baby. He wasn't as well versed in the practice as Gina was, but the experience he'd had with Kira at least gave him the confidence that he wouldn't do something wrong and drop her.

Michaela was so small, he couldn't get over her. As he felt her chest moving under his hand when he covered her after she loosened the blanket, he thought about the baby that he and Gina would never have. He wondered if it was his fault. For a moment he wished he could turn back the clock to when he and Gina were younger, and their chances of having a safe birth and a healthy child were much greater. Until this point in time, he never even gave a thought to being a father, but now he did, and he regretted throwing away his chances.

"Hey, Sam? Sam!"

"Huh?" He looked up at Michael, who stood over him with an anxious look on his face.

"I'd like my daughter back, if you don't mind."

"Oh, sure!" He finished wrapping Michaela in the blanket and handed her to her daddy, all the while a sharp pang of jealousy pierced him. Michael took her, snuggled her close to his body and started whispering things to her. Sam couldn't handle it. He stood and said, "We should probably take off, let this family get some rest." He moved toward the door and saw the odd look Gina gave him. She quickly hugged Fiona and said goodbye to everyone before following him out the door and into the hallway.

"What was that all about?"

"What?"

"You were in lala land there with the baby, and then when Michael took her away, you had this really weird expression on your face. Then you just jump up and say we've gotta go." She stopped him in the corridor, well away from the room. She looked up into his eyes, saw a sadness in them, and immediately, she understood. "It wasn't in the cards for us, Sam. We've just got to get used to it."

"I know." He put his arm around her and started walking toward the exit. "I just can't help but wonder why we couldn't have some baby wind up on our doorstep like Fi did? Only we'd get to keep it."

"There are a lot of other kids out there who need homes and parents. They're not babies, but I'd have no problem with that. And they might not be easy to work with at first, but Sam, I know we've got a lot of love for some kid out there who really needs it!"

He sighed deeply as they stepped out into the blazing heat and humidity. "I'll think about it, Gi."

"Don't wait too long."

"I promise, I won't." As he drove them home, neither one spoke for awhile. "How long do you think it would take to adopt an older kid?"

Hope welled up in her sunny expression. "I don't know. We'd have to look into it."

"Okay, by the time we get it figured out, maybe I'll be ready to take the plunge."

"Somehow, I've got a feeling we won't be sorry." Gina smiled at him and squeezed his hand.

"I hope you're right, Gi. There have been a lot of changes in our lives lately, and it's going to take some getting used to everything. I guess it would be nice to have a little time for things to just be normal for awhile."

Gina laughed. "Sam, you and your friends wouldn't know what to do if someone or something wasn't stirring up trouble. That's the way it is. And I'm okay with that, too, because I love you and we're in this forever. It's been quite the ride so far, and we've got a long way to go yet."

He kissed her hand as he held it in his. "I can hardly wait to see what happens next. But for the time being, I'll settle for dinner, dancing, and a little late night dip in the pool. Now, how's that for making waves?"

"It sounds great." She caressed his arm and leaned into him as they continued on their way home. The way things had been going since she met Sam, if their plans actually succeeded, it would be a really good night. She could only hope.


End file.
